Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea
by Juni Onigiri
Summary: Todoroki Shouto, Neurosurgery Resident, needs to find a date for the annual Pro Heroes' Gala by tonight, or else Endeavor will do the choosing for him. Having to resort to drastic measures, he convinces the OR nurse Uraraka Ochako to pretend going out with him. (Todochako Fake Dating AU!)
1. Prologue: A New Tattoo

**Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea  
** Prologue: A New Tattoo

 _AN: this chapter is previously published as an entry for BNHA rarepair month, and is completely unchanged :)_

* * *

Uraraka Ochako sighs as she pulls off her OR scrub suit in the women's lockers. She doesn't always feel like shit and that she's super incompetent at her job, but then again she didn't always have to assist Dr. Hakamata for three consecutive surgeries. After being yelled at and threatened to be stitched up the ceiling about fifty times, her ego had just about enough bruising.

"I've had my share of miserable days, but you make a funeral look like a rave, Uraraka."

Uraraka looks up from her miserable face reflected in her little mirror inside her little locker to look at the woman who entered. "Oh-Dr Tokage? What're you doing here?"

The green-haired internist gives her a saw-tooth grin as she saunters in with a sterile set of scrubs. "Cardiac monitoring duties. I ran into a miserable-looking Honenuki on the way here. I'm guessing you both got an acute case of Best Jeans Syndrome."

"You got that right, doc," Uraraka says with another despondent sigh, one that she pulls out of the very depths of her being. "I was literally moments away from being torn into shreds and woven into the world's ugliest quilt… I made so many booboos that…"

 _Oh sweet fuck Happy Thanksgiving._

"That I can't…" Uraraka struggles, as Tokage Setsuna casually starts pulling off her scaly-green dress, showing off an arsenal of tattoos over the smooth skin of her arms, chest, belly, and hips, and the most toned body on a woman she's ever seen, _ever_ , in her short existence as a disastrous bisexual. When the girl bends over to shimmy out of her shoes, Uraraka had to turn around to stop staring at her toned ass. "Sorry doc, I totally forgot what I was saying-"

Dr. Tokage chuckles. Through the little mirror in her locker, Uraraka sees that her stupid pink cheeks have turned cherry red. She's probably a few moments away from floating herself into an embarrassed heap in the ceiling, if the doctor didn't speak in the next second. "It's fine. People tend to do that when they see all the tats. I regularly get shit over it, like _why does a doctor look like a freakin' Yakuza member,_ and things like that-"

"Th-that's not what I w-was thinking at all!" Uraraka stammers, willing herself to look at the green-haired girl again. Thankfully, Dr. Tokage's already pulling down the scrub top, and the brunette's heart is spared a heap of extra work load. "I think your tats are amazing! I wish I had about half as many as you do! I just have a small one myself, and it's not that nice-looking…"

"You think so? I'm sure it ain't that bad," says Tokage, with a playful little smirk on her wide mouth. "Care to show me?"

Uraraka blushes up to her hairline and internally beats herself up for even mentioning her tattoo. Because while she's a little proud of having the courage to get a tattoo in the first place, she isn't sure that she wants to show her fat ass to Tokage… especially not after she's given such a lovely a visual treat.

Still, it'd be weird not to show it to her at this point, so she tries not to be too obviously reluctant when she pulls down her pants and shows the skin of the outside of her left thigh, angling her butt outwards so the other girl can see it. Her blush doesn't die down as Tokage appraises it, bending her face so close over her bottom that she feels her piercing gaze on her.

"That's such a cute little astronaut, Uraraka!" giggles the doctor, green eyes dilating from slits into interested dark oblongs. "And those cute planet-balloons! Are you into outer space or something?"

"Y… yeah… space is cool," she says dumbly, making herself internally flinch at how uncool she sounds. Luckily though, Tokage doesn't seem to mind her silliness, and just gives that melodic laugh again. She tries to recover by adding, "I mean… I want to have another tattoo… maybe like, a half sleeve or something, with all the planets-"

She shows off her bare arm, which contrasts quite markedly against Tokage's decorated one. She sees that her muscly right arm has various sharp-toothed dinosaurs on it, inked in spectacular detail.

The green-haired girl hums thoughtfully, tapping one scaly finger to her chin. "You serious about that, Uraraka?"

The nurse blinks as she regards Tokage's daring stare. "Yeah, I'm serious… I guess? I mean, I've looked around for artists and stuff, but as for design..."

"Coolness. That's all I need to hear." The girl shows off her sharp teeth again and raises both eyebrows. "You're done with your shift, yeah? You should wait for me. This thing'll take, like, a second or so-"

"Huh? But-"

"I mean, as long as the patient doesn't die or anything," she adds with a chortle and a graceful wave of her inked hand. "I'll see you at the cafeteria in like, a couple of hours? Hey, maybe I can leave my mouth with you so we can keep talking?"

The young nurse yelps in horror and stammers the most polite _no thank you I don't want to spend the next two hours with your sexy disembodied mouth_ , and Tokage only cackles in response. In a few moments, the woman disappears into the operating room suites, and Uraraka can only calm her silly pink cheeks down and get dressed.

Clad in her casual clothes (which is just a faded black tank top, joggers, and a pair of sneakers), Uraraka nervously chews on the plastic straw half-dipped in her lukewarm coke when she sees Dr. Tokage amble up to her, clad once more in an emerald-green snakeskin dress and a white coat.

In her doctor-ly regalia, all her tattoos are hidden from plain sight. There's a certain thrill that comes with knowing how the map of her body looks like, while the rest of the world around her doesn't. "So good news, the patient's alive and I get to go home while Ibara-chan takes care of the rest. You ready to go, Uraraka?" she asks, sticking out her forked tongue for good measure.

"I guess?" Uraraka answers uneasily. Wherever Tokage's taking her, she hopes it's a place where she can see those lovely dinosaur-studded arms again.

They walk out of the hospital, with Tokage filling the empty air between them with chatter. Uraraka's amazed by her ability to be able to make a conversation about _anything._ By the time they reach their destination, the young nurse finds herself up-to-date with all the latest gossip going around the hospital. In particular, one involving Dr. Todoroki and his father, the present number one pro-hero Endeavor, who's allegedly on a head-hunt for a perfect mate with a perfect quirk so he can arrange a marriage and hopefully produce a grandchild who'd actually agree to being a pro hero, unlike any of his children who avoided heroism like the plague.

Uraraka wrinkles her nose at that. Arranged marriages-aren't they a thing of the distant past? Or like stupid plot devices in _shoujo_ manga, just an excuse for ordinary MCs to interact with impossibly rich and handsome men? Well, Dr. Todoroki Shouto indeed fits the bill for your standard _shoujo_ or _josei_ hero. He has the wealth, the breeding, and the _brooding_ too. Just enough torment to be interesting, but not overwhelming, like Dr. Tokoyami or Dr. Kuroiro from radiology.

And the looks. Ohh, buddy boy, the looks. That dual-toned hair, those crazy heterochromatic eyes, how very, very pretty his face looks, even with the scar on his face. Not to mention how unfairly muscled his body is, for someone who spends all his time doing neurosurgery and probably not much of anything else. Uraraka's spent many semiconscious moments inside and outside the OR watching him undress and unglove and unmask, enjoying how his strong arms look while scrubbing down for the next procedure-

Wait, did she really just-with _Doctoroki_ again, of all people-ugh, Uraraka wants to punch herself in the damn face. She hasn't even finished fantasizing about Dr. Tokage, and here she is moving on to the Hosu Gen's unofficial image model-who, by the way, doesn't even have a good reason to interact with her outside the OR.

But even though Uraraka's notoriously mercurial when it comes to her crushes, Dr. Todoroki's one of her strong constants. She always comes in danger of losing herself in her thoughts when she thinks of him, for some reason. What a true disaster she's turning out to be.

She focuses her attention instead on the small place they've ended up, called _Illusion Inks._ The young nurse tilts her head curiously at the entrance and doesn't move until Tokage does a little come-hither motion with her fingers.

"Come on. Are you backing out or something, Uraraka?" she asks teasingly.

"Um," she begins uneasily, rubbing her arm self-consciously, "I know I said I wanted a tattoo, but I didn't mean _tonight-_ "

"No time like the present, babe," is all the green-haired girl says before she forcibly drags Uraraka by the arm and into the threshold. Damn, the woman's frickin' _strong,_ those muscles aren't just for show.

The inside of the shop is nice and neat and bright. The walls are full of illustrations of varying themes, all of them dream-like: dragons and florals and creatures of the deep blue sea. Uraraka finds herself taken in particular by the galaxy themed ones, showing off clouds of purple and deep red surrounding a sea of stars.

She doesn't pay attention to the beautiful illustrations for very long, though. Behind the counter is who Uraraka swears is an actual pixie of the dark-elemental type unless proven otherwise-straight, dark hair that falls above her shoulders, dark purple eyes that have just-enough-torment, and smooth beautiful skin riddled with tattoos all over her arms, neck, and chest. Her elongated earlobes are plugged into her phone, and she seems to be strumming on a phantom guitar before she looks up to the two visitors.

She breaks out into a cute grin. "Hey, Setsuna~ My fav crazy internist!"

"Kyouka! My beautiful tattooed angel, I missed you!"

Uraraka watches as they share a kiss that definitely lasts for more than ten seconds. She wonders whether it's polite to look away or not, and whether it's normal to suddenly feel so single and miserable upon the sight of two beautiful girls kissing until they thankfully break apart.

The girl called Kyouka then turns to Uraraka and regards her with a curious stare. "So Setsuna, are you going to introduce me, or…?"

"Of course I am," she says, with some sass. "This here's Uraraka Ochako, one of the best OR nurses in Hosu Gen, and your next beautiful canvas."

"Hey. Jirou Kyouka. I'm an apprentice here," the girl offers, offering out her hand for Uraraka to shake. "If I look familiar, it's probably 'cause you see me down the street sometimes trying not to kill my boss and co-worker at NTG Cafe."

Uraraka gasps. "Oh, you work there? Your cold brew's _amazing._ And yeah, I've seen your boss maybe once? I'd just like to say, from the bottom of my heart: _yikes._ "

Jirou laughs heartily at this. "I like this girl. You should ask her out too, Setsuna."

The green-haired girl hums thoughtfully. "I was getting to that," she begins, and before Uraraka can even _process_ what they meant, Tokage's already shrugging off her doctor's coat, and she's looking at those wonderful arms again, and all sound reasoning goes out the window. "Anyways, Kyouka, Uraraka here tells me that she wants a galaxy-themed sleeve to match the cute little astronaut she has tattooed on her toned-as-fuck left thigh-"

 _… she likes my thigh?_ Uraraka stammers bashfully in her head, before she realizes that Tokage's already motioning for her to take of her pants right there to show Jirou the astronaut. Blushing, she obliges, hooking her thumb against the garter of her joggers while severely regretting her choice of hot-pink, kitten-print cotton undies that day, to show off her ass and all its unseemly stretchmarks for the second time that evening.

Jirou whistles low and carefully touches her skin and traces the outlines of the astronaut and balloons with her calloused fingertips. "Wow, it's _so cute,_ Uraraka. You might need to have it retouched, but it's really well-made. Who's your artist?"

"Um… he moved away, but Kamakiri-san from Mantis Tattoos did this one-"

"Yikes. Another mess of a human being, that mans is. Totes cray-cray, amirite?" a different, sultry voice calls out from behind them.

Uraraka goes ramrod straight and struggles dumbly to pull her pants up, but instead drops the mess of fabric to the floor. A tangled mess of astonishment and horror finds itself uncoiling inside her chest when she sees just _who_ comes out of the back of the shop, to also stare at the little insignificant artwork on her thigh.

Uraraka thinks that the woman who walks in is the very definition of _babe_ -long, light brown hair that falls over her shoulders, wide brown eyes, full lips with a tasteful hint of rouge, an hourglass figure accentuated by a jet-black bodycon dress that shows off her ample cleavage. Like everyone else in this damn place, all her exposed skin is covered in ink. Most of them are floral and dreamy and absolutely gorgeous, of course, and if she were the only one there, Uraraka would have spent more time appreciating all the details.

Yet, the person next to her just…! Makes her want to drop dead right there! Makes her want to walk her fat ass back to the ER and ask for a sedative that'll last her for the next seven years!

Because why in seven hells would Todoroki Shouto, of all people, be standing there with his shirt only half-way on, with his stupid sexy arms and stupid sexy torso and stupid sexy abs on full display, his stupid sexy mouth half-open and curious, and his stupid sexy eyes directed _right at her naked, stretchmarky ass_?!

Uraraka knows that she should probably pull her stupid pants up and rescue what little dignity she has left. Her little brain goes _shit shit shit_ as it takes her too long to hide her butt and her silly underwear and tattoo.

Thankfully, his stare doesn't last very long. He makes an awkward noise in his throat, trains those distinct eyes elsewhere, and mutters, "I didn't see anything, Uraraka."

 _Yes you did, you obviously did, Doctorokiiii whyyyy do you exist,_ she cries in her head. Beside her, she hears Tokage trying to keep her shit together. She somehow manages not to float her ass up the ceiling and into outer space and to straighten up.

She hears the woman laughing next to her. "You didn't? Too bad, fam, those are the nicest set of gams I've ever seen in me life. Cannot. Even."

When Uraraka dares herself to look at the young doctor again, she sees that he's already got his shirt back on and that his face is a little pink and he couldn't look at Uraraka in the eye. She ponders briefly if she needs to leave the OR-maybe ICU has openings or something.

"So… Camie, I hear she wants a galaxy-themed sleeve, so I'm planning to make some designs for her right now," the dark-haired girl pipes up brightly, interrupting Uraraka's shame-filled train of thought.

The bombshell named Camie puts a finger to her full lips and makes a show of thinking about it. "This'll be your biggest project to date, fam. You up to this?"

"Sure am, boss." Jirou makes a show of flexing her slender arm and all its tattoos. Tokage subsequently swoons theatrically next to her.

"Yass~ then she's all yours, my sweet child. Although, ya gotta make time for her after closing hours. We're fully booked for, like, the next hundred years and so~"

"Leave it to me." Jirou does a lazy salute and gives Uraraka a pure, excited smile, one that momentarily makes the nurse about the terrible misfortunes that had happened to her and her ass just then. All she wants to do now is to spend the rest of the evening with this beautiful pixie, talking about the vast infinity of space, all the undiscovered planets, aliens-

"Hey, Todoroki, lemme see your back!" Tokage says, pulling at the end of his shirt.

"Okay."

Suddenly, Todoroki's shirt comes off again, and Uraraka feels the Big Bang emulating in her brain once more. She cannot keep her jaw from opening like Pandora's box as she takes in the beautiful sight.

Dr. Todoroki Shouto's back is a fuckin' _masterpiece,_ and she isn't talking about the obra maestra of a tattoo that Camie must have been working on before they arrived. Even miniscule movements of his arms and torso-fuck, even when he fucking _breathes_ she sees muscles moving deliciously under his skin. It's not too bulky either, just lean and well-proportioned and tasteful. Everything the light touches is a kingdom for her eyes to feast on-her fingers itched to touch the cuts-

Oh, and also, the tattoo. There's saran wrap over it, but Uraraka still sees that it's so beautiful it's fearsome. Two dragons, entwined in each other, staring each other down as if they're preparing for a battle to the death. On the right the dragon is grey and white, with glaciers surrounding it. On the left, a red dragon with hot blue eyes is engulfed in flame. The tattoo isn't complete yet, and most of the skin on his back is swollen and tender, but Uraraka can tell that once it completely heals, it'll be the most beautiful back in the history of all backs.

"Hot damn, Todoroki," Tokage whistles. "Knowing you though, it still screams daddy issues-I mean, really, ice versus fire? You're still hung up about that mess? But. Hot fucking damn."

"Sure," Todoroki says flatly, not deigning himself to remark about the daddy issues thing. Uraraka sees a little annoyed flash in his eyes, however, and she's sure that he isn't thinking of Tokage's super foul remarks.

"Lit, ain't it? My best work to date, even if I say so myself," Camie says, proudly strutting around to stare at her handiwork once again. "We gots maybe two sesh's to go, and his back's good to go. You like it, Astronaut Sis?"

Uraraka closes her mouth shut and hates herself for the loud sound it makes. "Y-yeah, it's pretty… um, lit," she offers weakly.

She tries not to think too hard about the slightly-less-disinterested look that Todoroki gives her before he shrugs on his shirt again. He gives a curt little nod to Camie and says, "I'll see you in a couple of weeks, Utsushimi."

"Sure, TodoBroki. Have fun saving lives and all," Camie says, puckering her lips for a flying kiss that the dual-toned man ignores blatantly as he turns for the exit.

Uraraka thinks that she's finally going to be able to catch her ANbreath, but suddenly Todoroki stops at the door and turns his mismatched eyes to her. "Uraraka," he calls out, making her freeze.

"Y-yes, Doc?" she stammers, her posture suddenly meek and all nurse-like.

There's that odd look on his face again, and for a second Uraraka worries that he'll tell her not to spread the word about his huge fucking ass back tattoo, but all he says is, "Show me your tat once you're done. I'll see you tomorrow."

Uraraka doesn't know what she says in response, but he gives her a ghost of a smile before he leaves the premises.

When she deflates, Tokage and Jirou are positively cackling at her, and all she's able to manage is a whine about how unfair life is. "I can't believe I just showed Dr. Todoroki Shouto my ass," she whines into Tokage's arms, as the lizard girl holds her in mock-comfort.

"And as a direct result of it, he's in-love with your astronaut ass," the doctor remarks with a sawtooth grin. "But we can talk about our future foursome later. Right now, please let my beautiful and talented girlfriend draw on your sexy arm, Uraraka!"

Uraraka obliges and follows Jirou out into the back, where they finally talk about her tattoo. But she finds out how much of a struggle it is to keep her thoughts in outer space when most of her mind is occupied by fire and ice.

* * *

 **AN:** The chapter title and the lyrics in the subsequent chapters are lifted from "A New Tattoo" by Urbandub - one of my fav songs T_T


	2. 1: How I Can Help

**Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea  
** Chapter 1: How I Can Help

AN: _This is posted previously as a submission for bnha rarepair month (Day 26 - Fake Dating AU)._  
 _If you've read it before, please read through it again, starting from the cafeteria scene. I made subtle but major edits to this chapter that change the story rather significantly :)_

 _Some scenes also appear in the Bakumomo series (Ruby Red and Caramel) but you don't need to read that to understand this one~_

* * *

 _Great moments, they pass by  
If you're careless_

* * *

"... so apart from the meds that Dr. Kendo from Neurology already gave this patient pre-op, I think we need to add another quirk suppressant to make sure that his bones remain solid post-op."

"Leave the medication adjustments to us, Yaoyorozu-kun. Aoyama-kun, take note!"

" _Oui, mes amies!_ " Aoyama does a little twirl in his place and turns his shining face to him. "Do we have to do anything else, Dr. Todoroki?"

 _Pink._

Todoroki Shouto blinks once, then twice, then another time as a particularly large sparkle gets in his eye. Yaoyorozu and Iida are staring at him rather incredulously, and he stares back at them.

 _Round._

"No, I think we're good."

Iida's glasses flash skeptically. "Are you sure, Todoroki-kun? You _were_ the first assist to Dr. Fukukado in this case."

 _Pink._

He nods. "Yaoyorozu endorsed everything you need to know about this patient. I'll come back later to check on him, too."

The sturdy intensivist makes another skeptical sound, but does not say anything more. "All right, if the neurosurgery service is finished, Aoyama-kun! Let us do rounds, starting from Bed 1!"

" _Oui, mon capitaine!_ " The intensive care team takes all their notes and charts and leaves, with Iida bellowing out one order after another, and Aoyama diligently taking note. He hears Yaoyorozu sigh next to him as she tucks her notes under her arm.

"Tough case, huh? I hope the patient makes it through," she says genuinely as they begin their walk from the ICU back to the wards. "And it took you guys seven hours to get that tumor out. You must be exhausted, Todoroki-san."

It was seven and a half hours, but Shouto doesn't bother correcting her, because he doesn't feel tired. He's used to long OR's by now, and if need be he could probably go in for another one right now. He makes a noncommittal sound and keeps his eyes forward.

 _… pink. Round. Bouncy…. soft…?_

"You okay?"

Shouto stops and glances at his co-resident. Her dark eyes are shining with worry as they stare right back at him, likely not missing a single detail on his expression.

"I'm okay."

There's a fifty-fifty chance that he's lying, he thinks, because he's not sure if he's okay. He isn't feeling particularly down, or miserable-well, at least no more than his default misery over his messed-up family life and the looming threat of Endeavor's latest harebrained scheme to subject him to a quirk marriage. But he isn't feeling particularly… _normal_ either. At least, he's sure it isn't normal to suddenly obsessively think about a particular shape, and a particular color, and a particular nurse-

"I think you need to eat," Yaoyorozu says, her worried gaze not going away. "Might be hypoglycemia. I'm sure you haven't had a chance to eat breakfast before you guys scrubbed in."

That's a good idea. Maybe it's all low blood sugar.

"I'll treat you to anything you like, Todoroki-san. You can't be sick now-you have that event with Endeavor tonight, right?"

Todoroki huffs. Maybe he wants to keep his blood sugar low, after all. "Don't remind me. I'd rather go on perpetual duty for a month than to go to that gala. Maybe I can convince Honenuki to switch duties with me."

"You shouldn't," Yaoyorozu says with a hint of humor. "If you don't go, I doubt that the situation with him would get any better. And it's just a few hours, right? Speaking of which, have you found someone to come with you yet?"

"No, none at all." He gives her the best pleading look he can give. He knows it isn't much, he barely feels his face move, but he hopes it'll work this time. "You can still come with me, Yaoyorozu. There's still time."

She makes a face of absolute reluctance and apology. "I really can't, Todoroki-san… you know I have a report to finish by tonight, and besides, once Endeavor _assumes_ we're together-"

"We can pretend to have a messy breakup tomorrow."

She laughs awkwardly and slaps him lightly on the arm. "You know that's not going to work. Your father… well, he's already interested enough with my quirk, and he's… um…"

"An asshole." There's a sudden bitter taste in his mouth. Yaoyorozu makes her own odd sound when she hears the inappropriate, yet adequate description of his inappropriate father. "It's okay. You're allowed to say so."

"Doesn't mean I will," she says, with all the dignity befitting of her. "By the way, about our next duty-"

 _"-ponytail. Paging Dr. Ponytail, please go to information. Paging Dr. Ponytail, to information please."_

Shouto blinks. He looks at Yaoyorozu, focusing on her twitching, insulted ponytail first, before he moves on to the absolutely flabbergasted expression on her face.

"Um," he says eloquently, when he finds himself speed-walking behind her when she starts rushing down to information, her heels clacking angrily behind her, "how do you know that they're paging you?"

She doesn't answer him, but he hears her mutter, _"I can't believe that man, how improper!_ " as they finally reach Information on the first floor. Shouto watches in awe as Yaoyorozu steps with a sense of indignation he's never seen on her before towards a guy wearing an apron, who for one reason or another is having a lively argument against Awase, 3rd year orthopedics resident and one of their former classmates in med school.

"Bakugou-san!" she calls out, hands on her hips, looking absolutely _livid._ Shouto briefly wonders if he's entered the twilight zone.

Apron-guy, who is apparently named Bakugou, sets his eyes on her and gives her a smug little smirk. To Awase, he goes, "See, Headband fucker? Told you she'd get it."

Awase only looks a little defeated, maybe a little surprised and insulted that the guy was looking for Yaoyorozu after all, but he doesn't show signs of backing down. "What kind of a moron would page a good and proper doctor by that nickname?!"

By this time though, the apron guy is already sauntering his way towards Yaoyorozu, that self-satisfied smile on his face not going away. "So, Dr. Ponytail. You ain't on call today, right?"

Shouto can see the struggle on the easily readable Yaoyorozu's face-it's obvious that she's really happy to see this man, for one reason or another, but she's also trying her hardest not to let it show. She tries to stiffen her upper lip as she says, "I'm _not,_ but… Why do you ask, Bakugou-san?"

"That's all I need to know." He grabs her hand, ignores the yelp of protest coming from the young doctor, and pauses. He turns his red eyes to Shouto, and, without an ounce of shame in his gaze, asks, "You can cover for her, right Dr. Blackjack?"

 _… Dr Blackjack?_ Shouto thinks passively. _Kinda old school._ But he nods all the same.

"Fuck yeah. Come on, Dr. Ponytail."

"B-but-Todoroki-san isn't-"

"He says he'll cover for you, all right?! And we're just across the street, you can run through traffic if their dumbasses manage to mess things up while you're not here-"

When Yaoyorozu looks back at Shouto, there's a mixture of conflict and thrill plain in her dark eyes. He gives her a small wave of a hand and says, "Honenuki and I got this. Have fun, Yaoyorozu."

The apron guy knows how to speed-walk, that's for sure. It isn't even a minute before he has successfully abducted Yaoyorozu out of plain sight. He huffs a little, and stares right back at Awase, who looks at him like he's _betrayed_ him or something.

"... she really isn't on call," he tells him matter-of-factly.

Awase makes an annoyed sound and goes in the opposite direction.

* * *

So. Now that Yaoyorozu has been stolen away by that explosive guy from the cafe down the street, Shouto is alone in the cafeteria.

As alone as he can be, he supposes. He isn't bragging at all when he concludes that there are about four different people taking sneaky photos of him - one when he enters the hall, two when he falls in line and orders zarusoba, and another when he takes a table at a dark, lonely corner in the cafeteria. He does his best to appear disinterested, even when one of the women accidentally forgot to turn the flash off her phone.

He sighs. People left and right tell him that objectively, he's attractive. He doesn't understand why it's important in any setting, and more importantly, he doesn't care. He just knows that he's tired of people taking his photos without his consent, and he's tired of turning down the admin's request for him to be an image model for the hospital.

It's why he enjoys it in the OR. At least with a mask, cap, gloves, and a gown on, his looks don't matter, only his skills and his knowledge of neurosurgery. Doesn't matter how tiring or nerve-wracking or how high the stakes are sometimes.

 _Pink. Round._

He bites down on one of his chopsticks. Damn, just thinking of the OR shoves his thoughts back in that weird loop. And he wonders, for the nth time that day, how and why he keeps thinking of Nurse Uraraka Ochako and her pink cheeks… on both ends.

Shouto hates himself for a lot of other reasons, but today he hates himself for having such debauched thoughts about one of the more capable OR staff in the hospital. He has always respected Uraraka, her general cheerful disposition, and her quick thinking during surgeries. The few curt words they've exchanged while scrubbing in and out weren't bad either. They're mostly of Uraraka, who always strives to do better, asking him about the case and how she can improve assisting next time, and him answering back to help her out.

But just one accidental look at her toned thighs and her shapely… um, _derriere,_ and suddenly he couldn't think of anything else. He tells himself that he isn't as perverted as he sounds, because it's not like he wants to touch her inappropriately or degrade her or anything terrible like that-he's seen his share of thighs and derrieres and such, in many different sizes and proportions, and his mind has never felt this… stimulated…? before…

But for Uraraka… he supposes it's because the ones on her face and the ones over there are equally rotund. Shouto is merely amazed at her proportions. Her symmetry is… _astounding_.

Looks like they're bouncy too. He wonders what she does to keep in shape. He wonders what it would feel like to grasp them-entirely with her consent of course, of course he wouldn't grope her without it. Actually, what those upper pink cheeks of hers will feel like, if he holds her blushing face in both his hands-

Shit. He's a fucking pervert. He wants to douse himself in lukewarm water. He manages to build frost on his cheek instead.

His thoughts are jarred when a commotion manifests itself near the entrance of the cafeteria. He looks briefly in that direction, sees flames, and immediately retracts his gaze.

Endeavor, professional hero, present #1 in Japan, walks over to his table with his arms crossed. "Shouto," he calls out, his voice commanding and annoying and gravelly. "You left me on read. Again."

He tries not to glare too much as he meets those cold, blue eyes of his, under tendrils of obnoxious flame. He should really tone it down when he's not on the field. "I was in the OR."

"You aren't now, are you?"

Shouto hums in disinterest. Endeavor makes an annoyed grunt and pulls the chair across from him. "So, Shouto, you must know why I visited you here in your place of work…"

He doesn't miss the way Endeavor's nose wrinkles in distaste as he says _place of work_ -making it plain how low he thinks of the quirks that people who aren't in the Hero Career track have. Shouto preemptively rolls his eyes so far back that he might as well be having a seizure.

"Who are you taking to the Pro Heroes Gala tonight?"

"I don't understand why you have to know right away."

The old man raises one flaming eyebrow at him. "I'm your father, for one. I have to approve of whoever it is you're planning to mate with-"

Shouto wants to vomit at his father's awful vocabulary.

"-and two, it's a public event. In my honor, I might add." Endeavor taps his fingers impatiently against his arm. Shouto knows that he hates things like this, but he has to do what he has to, to get the popular vote back. "So I will not risk having it ruined by you, if you bring someone who's unworthy of the Todoroki name-"

"Then don't bring me." Shouto slurps his soba as impolitely as he can and actively ignores Endeavor's glare.

He hears the old man grumble under his breath. "What a waste, Shouto. You could have been on the red carpet next to me as a proper Pro Hero, saving lives and making a difference. I don't understand why you're letting your skills and your quirk go to waste in a place like this."

"We're saving lives and making a difference," he says evenly. "Not as obnoxious as _some heroes_ tend to do, granted, but yes."

His stint as a pro-hero is brief and horrible and premature, and as violently as it began, it ended violently like a car crash. He hasn't looked back ever since, rightfully so. He doesn't want to waste time thinking about that part of the past anymore.

Endeavor clicks his tongue. "You still haven't answered my question. Were you, by any chance, _bluffing_ when you said you were taking one of your co-workers to the gala?"

"I wasn't."

"... is it Yaoyorozu Momo?"

"No."

Endeavor somehow looks more annoyed with his answer. Shouto wasn't bluffing at the beginning, though. He really thought that Yaoyorozu would agree to help him with this. It was silly of him to assume that she would, in hindsight. It's really creepy that the old man favors her above all others, just because of her quirk.

"So? Should I contact Ryukyu and tell her you're interested?"

Shouto scowls. "She's ten years older than me. And I'm pretty sure she's already seeing someone."

"A woman, so it shouldn't count." Miruko, to be precise. The old man sneers. "But she's not who I'm… _interested_ in for you. One of her most promising sidekicks just separated from her to form her own agency. She has a decent quirk, she's in the top twenty-five in the last polls, and she doesn't have any disgusting mutation quirks or any facial or bodily deformations-"

Shouto doesn't say anything, just glares him down, as always. He spaces out the next moment-doesn't even notice that the person's name goes in one ear and out the other. He really, really can't subject himself, or this unfortunate woman to Endeavor's whims. The last thing anyone from this generation of heroes need is an outdated and potentially harmful arrangement such as a quirk marriage.

He has to do something, no matter how drastic, to get out of this.

By the time he tunes back in the conversation, Endeavor has one hand raised and is glaring at all passers-by. "What does someone have to do to get a waiter here-"

He stares at him incredulously. "This is a cafeteria."

Endeavor stares back at him as if he doesn't understand. Shouto sighs and stands up. "I'll take care of it. What do you want?"

"Do they have _kuzumochi_?"

"... I highly doubt it."

Endeavor scowls. "Just a Mountain Dew then." He pauses for two seconds, then adds, "And Doritos, if they have Doritos. The blue ones."

Shouto immediately walks away from him, grateful for the few minutes he has not talking with him. He's a little disappointed to see that for once, the lunch line isn't that long, and he doesn't have enough time to cook up of a plan to avoid the impending disaster that is the gala that evening.

As he stares blankly at the colorful displays of candies and marshmallows lining the counter, he hears the answer piping up behind him.

* * *

"Ochako-chan? Have you checked all the forms for the patient who just went to the recovery area?"

Ochako glances at Mina, who is poring over a discombobulated mess of papers. "I did. Why? Is anything wrong?"

Mina taps a pen to her horns thoughtfully. "Yeah, looks like Doctoroki forgot to sign a whole bunch of orders here." She points to a lot of glaring blanks in the chart, where the neurosurgeon's signature is supposed to be. "We carried them out since Dr. Yaomomo paired him in these forms, but the ICU guys are gonna kill our asses for this. We need those signatures."

Ochako groans. Mina has her hands full in the recovery room, and Ochako's shift is supposedly over. Seems like it's her job to have him sign those, then. "Really? That sucks. But Doctoroki forgetting things? That isn't like him."

"True," the pink girl concurs, neatly bundling the papers and handing it to her. "He seems a little distracted today, eh? Maybe he's thinking of your sexy butt."

"Mina-chaaaan that's so fouuuuul," Ochako whines. She does _not_ appreciate the reminder of last night's fiasco, and how jovial Mina's cackling is.

"What? Did you think of us when you flashed him? I mean, Kiri and I are totally _peeved_ that Doctoroki saw your butt way before we did."

"Ugh. Of course you would tell your husband. Does the entire ER know about it now, too?" Ochako decides against using the employees' entrance next to the ER for the next ten years of service.

"Very likely." Why did she even share the incident with the hospital's biggest gossip, anyway? Kirishima Mina gives her a winning smile despite the venomous pouts that Ochako gives her and pats her on the back. "Anyways, love, just get these signed and you can enjoy your off. I bet you can catch him in the ICU if you make a run for it."

With obvious reluctance in her entire body, she gives Mina a quick wave of a partially-tattooed arm and rushes out of the OR.

When she gets to the ICU, however, she finds it devoid of any neurosurgeons who can help her. Aoyama meets her at the door and makes it a point to shield her body from Dr. Iida. " _Mon ami,_ do not dare show him incomplete paperwork. Find Dr. Todoroki _rapidement!_ I shall hold the fort 'til then."

"Thanks Aoyama-kun, I owe you my life. Do you know where he could be?"

Aoyama flutters his sparkly eyelashes in thought. "I heard that Mademoiselle Momo wanted to treat him to lunch at the cafeteria. He might have skipped breakfast to do the surgery, you see."

Oh. That might explain why his concentration was shot intermittently during the surgery. Better than her butt can, at least.

And also, Dr. Yaomomo-of course the prettiest, most talented doctor who's ever walked the surface of planet Earth is the one taking care of Doctoroki. She swallows down that bitter pill, thanks Aoyama again, and rushes to the cafeteria.

When she gets there, the first persons she sees are Kirishima Eijirou the ER nurse and Sero Hanta the pediatric ward nurse, who are chatting over their lunches. "Hey guys," she says breathlessly, "have you seen Doctoroki?"

Kirishima nods. "He's over there, Uraraka," the redhead points to the counter, where true enough, the dual-toned doctor is staring passively at the candies on the shelf, "but I wouldn't go there if I were-"

She ignores the rest of the sentence, mumbles a thank you, and rushes there. The faster she gets those signatures, the less time she has to spend being awkward around Dr. Todoroki, and the faster she can get home, take a nap, and convince herself not to think about anxiety-inducing things.

"Dr. Todoroki!" she calls. She tries not to huff and puff too much, even though her lungs start to feel the effort of running from the OR to the ICU and the cafeteria… oh and also, the fact that again, she's confronting freakin' Doctoroki again, far beyond her daily quota.

Dr. Todoroki Shouto turns around in slow motion, through what must be a rose-coloured screen, with all the sparkly puffs of light glowing around him, like a proper shoujo manga main love interest.

Being stuck inside the OR all shift long, Ochako doesn't often see this version of him: tall and broad and dignified in a tasteful button-down shirt, slacks, and a crisp, white doctor's coat that makes him look like the very vision of health and wellness. She admits that seeing all that up close, and also knowing about the tattoo he hides underneath all those layers, leaves her a little weak at the knees.

His usually inexpressive eyes are a little wider, for some reason. Ochako isn't too sure, maybe she's just flustered seeing him in such impressive lighting.

 _Okay, Ochako, concentrate… get signatures, go home._ "Um, I need you to sign these pathways. They're for the patient we just transferred in the ICU-"

For a moment, she doesn't know if she accidentally spoke to him in a foreign language, because those mismatched eyes are looking at her oddly, like she's an alien from outer space.

She tries again. _Japanese, Ochako. Japanese._ "I think you just forgot them, Doc, but we really need them for completion purposes…"

Suddenly, something entirely different happens in his eyes. It's not confusion anymore, but a bright, _Eureka!_ type of gleam. Todoroki opens his mouth, hesitantly at first, before he speaks. "I'll sign," he says very carefully, "if you help me out."

Ochako raises her eyebrows in curiosity. "Um… Doc, no matter what, you _really_ have to sign these, it's hospital policy."

"Please. I need you, Uraraka."

"N-need me?" The nurse feels her tiny little brain teeter on the edge of shutting down at those words. Still, she manages to ask, "How c-can I help, Doc?"

The hesitation in his face doesn't go away. It's a strange look on him-Ochako has never seen him wear anything other than a decisive, determined look during intense OR's, or an impassive one when he isn't doing surgeries. He closes his eyes ( _pretty, long eyelashes, oh wow I wish my eyelashes were that long_ ), and seemingly _wills_ himself to speak the next moment, knowing full well how ridiculous his request will be.

"You can help me by going out with me."

"... huh."

Did she hear that right?

Todoroki ignores her utter lack of dignity and nods. "Yes. I'm asking you to go out with me."

She blinks once, twice… a hundred times in the next second, trying to make sense of the situation. Or convincing herself that she isn't stuck in a complex daydream. Or perhaps, checking if she's finally dissociated successfully from her mortal body.

"If… you don't want to, that's okay." He looks over his shoulder. There's a perceptible change in his features again. He bares his teeth briefly with a _tch,_ and trains those ( _beautiful, melt-in-your-shoes-like-butter_ ) distinct heterochromatic eyes right into hers. "But if you want to help me, you have to give me your answer soon."

"Soon?"

He nods. "Right now."

All that blinking didn't magically transport her to her little bed in her little messy apartment, nor did it send her into a different alternate universe that makes more sense. Slowly, then all at once, she realizes that it's Dr. Todoroki Shouto's real voice speaking to her, and Dr. Todoroki Shouto's eyes pleading with her, and Dr. Todoroki Shouto's hands curling around both of hers, hot and cold, quietly and suddenly.

"Please," he implores her one last time. Difficult as it is to decode the strange tone he uses with her, Ochako hears the desperation in his voice. She knows he doesn't want to do this at all, but he's cornered.

And his eyes… are _soft._

She wills away the dreamy haze from her head. If Dr. Todoroki Shouto really needs her, then what choice does she have but to be there for him? Whatever that may entail?

There's only pure determination in her eyes when she looks up at him and nods her head. "Okay. I'll do it."

There's a moment where his eyes widen in disbelief-not the _oh my god she said yes to me_ disbelief, but more of an _are you sure-I can't believe that worked_ kind. Still, he gives her a ghost of a smile, and nods.

That little smile throws her off, so much so that she doesn't notice the tall shadow looming over both of them.

She barely catches the very soft, "No matter what, just play along," he mutters directly in her ear before he puts an arm around her and turns them both to the source of the shadow.

* * *

Shouto doesn't have time to regret all his life choices by the time he places his arm quite comfortably around Uraraka's shoulder, but he's sure he will later, when all this is over and the nurse has already likely cursed him and his stupid ideas to the depths of hell.

It isn't just Endeavor who's staring at the couple like they're two strips of udon in a bowl of soba. By this time, the entire cafeteria is watching them with their mouths hanging open in astonishment.

"Shouto," the old man starts. He's obviously uncomfortable and unprepared for this. Serves him right, Shouto thinks. "Is this… her?"

"Yes. She's the one."

He feels Uraraka silently choke on something. He grips her shoulder a little more firmly, hoping that it helps a little. He isn't sure if it does, because her cheeks turn from pink to red to purple.

"I see." Endeavor turns his gaze to the young nurse. She already feels small next to Shouto, so when the old man bends over slightly to look at her, she appears even smaller, like she's a mythical creature who lives in the forest and his father is an ugly, ugly troll. "What's your name, then?"

"Uh-Uraraka Ochako, Mr. Endeavor, sir. I work as a nurse here."

She holds out her hand, and Endeavor reluctantly takes it in his giant one. "I see. What's your quirk?"

Uraraka looks at him oddly. For people who aren't pros or in hero training, asking about quirks right off the bat is a little odd and a little rude, after all. She stammers, "I-I can make things float, sir."

"Hrm," Endeavor grumbles. He obviously _isn't_ pleased-Shouto sees judgmental eyes go over the incomplete tattoo on her arm-but she has a quirk, at least, and none of the quirks that he has a particular distaste. So he doesn't complain, at least not then. "And how do you do that, Nurse Uraraka?"

Shouto stops himself from huffing. He supposes he should be relieved that Endeavor doesn't ask the more decent, sensible questions like _how long have you been dating,_ because frankly he hasn't had a chance to prepare any answers in the last five minutes he started dating Uraraka. Still, he hates the old man for focusing his line of questioning on the quirks first, and not the nature of their (pretend, spur-of-the-moment) relationship.

What a mess. He's going to spend the rest of his residency training apologizing to Uraraka for this.

To his surprise though, Uraraka answers him easily. "Oh, like this, sir."

Shouto sees the precise moment that the pinky buffer goes down and touches Endeavor's hand. Instantly, the giant-of-a-man wheezes and struggles in an undignified manner, holding on desperately to the small girl's hand to keep himself from floating to the ceiling.

It is a valiant struggle not to laugh his ass off right there and then.

"I can float up to three tons of anything using this quirk," she explains brightly, blatantly ignoring how his father is turning green in zero-gravity, "but any more than that, or if I use it on myself, I tend to suffer bouts of nausea… luckily, I don't do this very often, because I'm a civilian."

"I can see that," Endeavor grits out, kicking his foot out to stabilize himself and failing, "you can let me down now, Nurse."

"All right, sir." She lets him go, causing him to float a few more inches upward before she touches all ten fingers together. The moment she says _release_ in that playful voice of hers, all of Endeavor's weight comes back to him, sending him crashing down to the ground in a heap. "Oh-oh my gosh, are you okay Mr. Endeavor sir? I'm sorry, I got carried away-"

Shouto has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his face impassive, as Uraraka rushes to the old man's side to help him up. Endeavor is a well-built pro hero who can handle a fall from even higher heights than that, but he still grunts and rubs his lower back like a geezer with arthritis as the small girl helps him up.

The fall leaves an impression on the guy, at least. "I'm okay. That's… quite a quirk you have, young lady." There's a layer of respect in his tone that wasn't there before. It's impressive that Uraraka is able to achieve so much by making the old man drop onto the floor of a busy hospital cafeteria like a sack of potatoes. "You should have gone pro. I can foresee many useful applications to your quirk for hero work."

Uraraka bashfully rubs the back of her head. "Thank you sir. I really love my work here, though."

"Hm. You and Shouto both. Just why, I can't fathom." He straightens out his electric-blue costume and nods to his son. "So I suppose I'll see the two of you tonight. Don't be late, Shouto."

Without further ado, Endeavor turns around to leave, splitting the crowd of gawkers into two like the parting of the Red Sea. When the trail of flame completely disappears from plain sight, Shouto gives in to the urge to exhale.

"Um," Uraraka begins from his side, big brown eyes impossibly wide, pink cheeks flickering in confusion, "Tonight?"

He turns to her and tries to look as apologetic as he can. He isn't sure what his face looks like, though, as again he doesn't feel it move very much. "… he means the annual Pro-Heroes Gala tonight. Where… I'm taking you as my date."

A weird, panicked sound comes out of her mouth, devoid of all the previous confidence that she showed the old man before. "D… dating." She says the word as if it's a hot coal that someone shoved in her mouth. "Endeavor, the number one hero of Japan… thinks I'm dating his son."

Shouto nods. "Just for now."

"... and… at the Pro-Heroes Gala. The biggest event of the year. In the country."

He nods again. He doesn't say anything, because he doesn't know what to say to make her less petrified.

And she is _absolutely petrified_ -not even blinking or visibly breathing, and the young doctor begins to worry. Shouto wonders if there's a marble statue quirk user somewhere nearby who hit her with a quirk. He supposes that when she agreed to his odd request earlier, she didn't think that the repercussions would be this big.

 _Of course she didn't, Shouto. You didn't say anything. Uraraka's a nice girl who doesn't deserve any of this. Be gentle. Be sorry._ "I'm… sorry about this," he says, attempting the sorriest voice he can muster, but his vocal cords barely bend the flatness of his default tone, and he berates himself for it. "It's just that my father is terrible, and I'm cornered."

"... oh," she repeats. She stumbles a little, and Shouto's arm shoots out around her waist to stabilize her.

"I'm stupid for doing this, I know," he tells her, even as she remains glassy-eyed. "It'll be tough, but it's just for tonight. Promise."

"J… just… tonight…?" Her cheeks are actually _quivering_ now. A weaker man would have succumbed to the temptation to prod them with a finger, but Shouto doesn't give in. It's hardly the appropriate time for it.

"I'll make it up to you, Uraraka." He has to lower his voice as the curious crowd begins to move around them again. He does not want _anyone_ to find out about his fake dating scheme. If Endeavor catches wind of it, he might find himself in an awkward dinner with that other girl and a handful of gossip that he doesn't want to deal with. "If you go out with me, I'll do anything you want me to. Even-"

He plans to say, _covering for you when we get another Jeanist case,_ because he knows Uraraka really dreads those, but before he can finish his sentence, Uraraka stiffens and falls like a tree sawed in half by a lumberjack.

"!" He manages to catch her in his arms before her head hits the floor. In an instant, he feels a commotion happening around the two of them.

"Doctoroki!" Kirishima Eijirou stomps his way through the crowd, with Sero Hanta trailing behind him. "What happened to Uraraka-chan?! Did Endeavor say something?"

"Um," Shouto begins eloquently, as he finally gets a good reason to lightly tap the girl's cheek. _Pink. Round. Soft._ He's worried about her, of course, but it's… softer than he ever imagined. His answer stutters in his head as his cold hand remains on her skin. "Nothing much."

Kirishima and Sero obviously don't know what to do about that response. The dark-haired nurse scratches the back of his head awkwardly. "Okay…? S-so, um… do you want help taking care of your… _girlfriend_ , Doctoroki?"

Sero says this very, very cautiously, like he's driving through a street full of potholes. Shouto blinks at them, almost _hearing_ how everyone around them holds their breaths in anticipation.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

As she drifts in and out of consciousness, Uraraka groans in his arms. He hears a distant sobbing in the background. Kirishima and Sero look at each other, a silent message passing through, apparently. Their mouths simultaneously curl into toothy grins.

"Okay. Let's carry her to the locker rooms."

As the three of them lift Uraraka and support her by the shoulders, the gears in Shouto's head mercilessly shift. He's done it this time, didn't he? He just admitted to be dating one of his co-workers-a nurse he works with in the OR, at that. He knows all about the potentially ugly rumors that can arise from that. Damn, he really, _really_ should have thought this through.

The media's going to have a field day over it. Now it's not just him who will be mercilessly hounded by all these vultures, but Uraraka as well. The gravity and the stupidity of his own hare-brained scheme to escape his father's control bears down on him.

He really doesn't care about how he's going to look like to the media, but… how is he going to pull this off, without compromising Uraraka's integrity?

Beside him, Uraraka moans again, her head rolling to his side, her soft cheek pressing on his shoulder. The scent of her sweet shampoo invades his nostrils. His brain goes blank, instantaneously wiped free of all anxiety.

He steels himself. He's going to pull off this fake-dating scheme and protect Uraraka, if it's the last thing he does.

* * *

AN: Haha, I had to change it. How Shouto originally got Ochako to cooperate with him really really bothered me. :P I hope this is slightly better?


	3. 2: Can We Pull This Off

**Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea  
** Chapter 2: Can We Pull This Off?

* * *

 _Tongue-tied, every time I try to talk to you  
In time, I'll find the right line._

* * *

Ochako opens her eyes to a mess of spotty bright lights, various shades of pinks, reds, and greens in candy-shades.

"She's opening her eyes," someone says above her. The red blur moves closer to her. She feels something heavy prodding her cheek. It's bothersome and she wants it to go away, but coordination comes late to her arms, and she misses swatting it away completely.

"Ochako-chan? You okay, honey?" The pink blur moves closer to her too, so that her vision is all shades of reds and pinks.

A legitimate question makes it to her lips in a slur: "Am… I awake…?"

Her head has a vague feeling of emptiness, like a crashing web browser with a hundred and fifty tabs open at the same time.

"You tell us," the pink one says with concern. "Ei, are you _sure_ she didn't hit her head back there? We might need to bring Dr. Kendo here to see her…"

"N… no… don't. I'm fine. I'm f…" Her arm regains feeling, and finally she has enough strength to rub her eyes.

Clarity comes to her soon, and she's treated to the sight of the Kirishimas staring down at her with concern. Mina already has her hands on her phone, ready to make a phone call. Eijirou is squatting next to her, one hand ready to shine a light in her eyes and the other pressing fingers to her pulse point.

"Hey there," says the red-haired Kirishima gently. "How are ya, babe? You scared us back there."

Ochako gives him an eloquent mumble. Slowly, she rises from where she lay and struggles to orient herself. "… when did I get in the locker rooms?"

"Kiri and Sero carried you after you fainted in the cafeteria, babe." Mina still has a worried look in her dark eyes, but puts her phone away all the same. "We've been waiting for you to wake up for five minutes now. I've been telling Ei to bring you to the ER already, since it might be serious, but the boys insisted on checking up on you here in private."

Scattered around them are all sorts of tools to check her vitals, her blood sugar, and even a spare cardiac monitor they probably nabbed from the recovery room. She's a little stunned that they 'borrowed' so many stuff for her without the nursing service knowing, but then again it's what she expects of the smooth, conniving Mina. At least they didn't see anything that warranted an ER visit. For now.

Eijirou nods and tells Mina, "I just had a feeling that those two probably don't want any more people rubbernecking over them? You should have seen the cafeteria. People ugly-crying left and right. Women on the verge of a riot. They had to call in a Code Grey at one point."

Ochako furrows her brow, trying to recall. She _does_ remember people screaming things like _I'm too late_ and _it can't be true, not him, not Todoroki-sama~~~_ as if they're at a fan meet and Doctoroki is a pop-idol who just announced that he's engaged to be married to a cryptid or something. What kind of a fucked-up dream sequence…?

Oh, but they're talking about it as if it happened in real life. She squints her eyes and stares at the husband-and-wife in confusion, wishing that they'd give her something tangible to go on.

"Mhm. I can just imagine," the pink Kirishima says flatly. She turns to Ochako with an odd look. "Honey? You okay?"

Her brain refuses to further process anything that they're saying. "Um. What… happened, exactly…?"

"You don't remember anything?"

 _A stoic voice whispering in her ear. Mismatched eyes, pleading with her about something-_ _"I need you Uraraka. Please."_ _A floating old man who falls to the ground._

 _Warm and cold hands around hers. A shiver down her spine. A decision in her head - "Okay, I'll do it", and then-_

She shakes her head vehemently, even as warmth starts to invade her cheeks. Nope, that can't be real, that has to be a complex dream sequence that her brain made up because she's a mess of a human being who can't function properly around attractive people.

The Kirishimas give each other an odd look. Eijirou scratches the back of his head and tells her, "Well, I guess we have to wait for him to give you the details of what happened, 'cos we sure as heck don't know what went down."

"... him?"

"Yeah." Mina, for some reason, pouts at her and gives her a look as if she's double-crossed her somehow. Seeing that she's stable now and could handle a good shove at the shoulders, she gives her a _really_ good shove at the shoulders. "You sneak, Ochako! Here I was, teasing you with him like an absolute idiot, not knowing the real deal between you two. How long were you going to keep it a secret, huh?"

Ochako is a little confused at the playful-accusatory looks that the couple is giving her. "What are you guys talking about? Have mercy on me, please? I just came back from the dead and all…"

They squint her eyes at her in disbelief. Now she's feeling annoyed. The inside of her head feels like crushed uncooked instant ramen noodles. She does _not_ deserve this treatment.

"Uraraka? You're up."

Her entire body straightens up automatically in attention when Dr. Todoroki Shouto's face peeks out from the doorway. The blank expression on his face lightens up very subtly when he sees Ochako fully functional again.

Well. As fully functional as Ochako can be in front of him, she supposes. A silly noise that doesn't sound like any proper word in any real human language escapes from her throat.

"Doctoroki! Finally!" Eijirou opens the door for him and snorts at the sight of him carrying way too many things in those big… muscly… arms of his, bulging underneath his crisp white doctor's coat. "What is all this, doc? Did you steal everything you could get from the supply room?!"

The nurse helps him sort out all types of IV solutions, tubes, and needles. "I brought everything we might need," he explains nonchalantly. "IV hydration, tube feeding, blood extractions."

"W-what?! That's overkill! No!" Ochako yelps with a sudden burst of energy. Despite being a nurse who has to subject her patients to them, she hates, hates, _hates_ needles-she had nightmares in middle school about a villainess in a middle schooler's uniform who goes around poking people with a giant syringe-and not even Doctoroki and his perfect face will calm her down enough for her to take a needle through her skin quietly. "Please, I'd _die_ if you stick any of those needles in me-"

She's visibly distressed enough that Mina holds on to her to calm her down. Todoroki just gives her an amused smile. "It's okay. I don't think we need to use these if you're up and about now, Uraraka."

That smile. That look he gives her, right in the eyes, as if he sees nothing else. Her mind is instantly blank and weak and soft, like jello. It's… unfair. She forgets about her needle-induced melodrama and stammers, "Y… yeah, I am…"

"Okay." He uses a different tone this time-a soft, comforting one, probably the same quiet voice he uses with his patients when he tells them that he needs to drill through their skulls to take a diseased portion out of their brains. "I need to check you out now to be really sure. If it's okay with you."

"... okay…"

She struggles with her composure as Todoroki bends down on one knee and stares her down at first, and then puts one cold finger to her chin, tilting it this way and that and she wonders how she hasn't frozen like a popsicle under his touch. His voice is astonishingly gentle in her ears, as he murmurs one command after another: _look at the light. Look at my finger. Show me your teeth. Hold my hand, grip my fingers… just like that, yes. Nice and strong._

 _Good. Very good,_ he murmurs to her, every time she does what he asks. The rumble of his voice activates little earthquakes in her chest and stomach, and strangely enough she wants more of it.

When he's done, he nods and stands up, leaving the points of contact between them cold and empty. Ochako hopes that her face isn't too pink when he regards the Kirishimas with gratitude. "She's okay now. Thanks for taking care of her, you two."

The bright smiles on the husband-and-wife's faces can light up a small village. "Our pleasure, Doc," Eijirou says in amusement. "Um. It's weird for us to say this now, but thanks for taking care of Uraraka too… I guess?"

"Yeah," Mina pipes up with a pout, one hand on her hip. "Really, Doctoroki, you should have asked us for permission first. Don't you know that Ochako's like our adopted Hosu Gen daughter? We should have been the first to know that you're dating!"

 _Dating. Dating? Doctoroki… and… me?_ Ochako feels her diaphragm freeze when the hazy images from before finally, finally flood through her brain.

 _You can help me by going out with me_. His voice in her head is finally clear. As is Endeavor's, who looked at her and judged her and then respected her after she sent him crashing to the ground and then told them, _I'll see you tonight. Don't be late, Shouto._

 _Oh my god_ , thinks Ochako. _It's happening_. Her completely ordinary, disaster-bisexual self has somehow become a good and proper K-drama heroine. Complete with a brooding, supernaturally handsome male lead, a judgmental potential parent-in-law, and an unnecessarily convoluted plot that led to a harebrained fake-dating scheme.

 _What in the actual fuck?!_ Wide-eyed, she turns to Todoroki, who is infuriatingly unfazed by all of this.

"I see. I apologize." He pauses thoughtfully. In all seriousness, he bows his head in the next moment like a proper son-in-law. "Please allow me to date your adoptive daughter."

"You have our blessing," Mina says immediately with a satisfied smirk as Ochako continues to silently choke on absolutely nothing. Ignoring her so-called daughter's lack of oxygen, the pink-haired girl pats her on the back gently. "My baby girl is a proper woman now. Don't forget to use protection and invite us to the wedding, 'mmkay?"

"Mina!" she squeaks in horror. No, please, mental images, do not bombard Ochako's brain now, she still needs to understand what in the holy fuck just happened in the cafeteria, okay?! "D-Doctoroki and I, we're not… we just-"

Eijirou ignores her less-than-intelligent stammerings and pats the blank-faced Todoroki at the back. "Take good care of our round baby, okay, Doctoroki?"

"Okay." With that weird, soft look in his eyes that makes it look like he's perpetually shimmering behind a rose-coloured lens, he looks at Ochako in the eye. "Uraraka… you good to go?"

He holds out his hand to her and gives her something other than a blank stare, instantly killing her last two remaining brain cells.

Still, she manages a weak nod, and reaches out to hold on to him. The chill of his right hand shoots through hers, like a bolt of frost through her veins piercing her heart, making it run marathons in her chest.

"Okay. You're steady," he murmurs again, oh god can't he just speak in a normal volume, not this really sensual low tone he uses on her please she still needs to go home in one piece.

"Come on." The look in his eyes tells her that they have other things to talk about, though, and thankfully she understands well enough that they need a nice, quiet spot to talk. Definitely not there, where the Kirishimas are watching their every move and grinning ear to ear like a happy pair of Shibas.

"... okay," she squeaks. With a weak goodbye to her so-called Hosu Gen parents, she follows her brand new, non-imaginary, bishonen-as-fuck _boyfriend_ out of the room.

* * *

"First of all, Uraraka. I'm really sorry about this."

Ochako listens to his sincere apology in a secluded booth in Satou's Coffees and Cakes, as she stares at a giant tower of fluffy pancakes and a large strawberry mochi parfait.

Easily her favourite things in the world, but for the first time in her life, she is not overcome with the immediate urge to stuff her cheeks to the limit. Instead, she carefully stares back at Doctoroki and the thick layer of gloom surrounding his aura like downtown smog.

"No, Doc," she says gently, twiddling the pink pads of her thumbs anxiously. "I… did tell you that I'd help you, and… I guess you did what you had to do…?"

"I… did. But that doesn't excuse the fact that I got you in this mess without you knowing all the messed-up details of it."

Ochako laughs awkwardly. "You mean how your father Endeavor, Japan's #1 pro-hero, thinks that we're datin' and how we're gonna be all couply an' stuff in the Pro-Heroes' Gala and how the media's goin' ta go crazy over it and how it's gonna change our work relationship with erryone else in Hosu Gen?"

Ignoring the slip of her aggressive Kansai dialect, the doctor nods solemnly.

"Heh… I'm over it now, Doc. I'm okay with it." As if to prove her point, she takes a slice of the pancake and chews through it, ignoring how her taste buds are malfunctioning somehow and all she's able to taste is sponge and nothing else.

He blinks at her. "Uraraka, you literally _fainted_ thinking about it. In front of everyone, too."

 _Ugh. Ochako, you anxious failure of a human being._ She fights the embarrassment and tells him, "Please don't worry about that anymore. You told me that I was okay earlier, right?"

He hums. "I just meant that it didn't look like you had brain damage or anything like that. But I have to make sure that you're really okay with... this whole arrangement with me."

She makes an effortful swallow . Geez, did Chef Satou just mess up today, or something? What kind of universe is this that Uraraka Ochako suddenly can't enjoy free food? But it's really hard to enjoy the blessings, not while Dr. Todoroki Shouto looks downright miserable.

"Doctoroki-I mean, Dr. Todoroki," she tells him carefully, sincerely. "I-"

"Todoroki's fine. Or Shouto," he tells her.

"Okay…" she attempts, and chickens out at the last minute, "Todoroki-kun." She tries to ignore the drumming of her heart as she feels his name in her mouth. "I was really, really honest when I told you that I wanted to help you. But… maybe, tell me why you… had to do this in the first place?"

"All right." He takes a long moment to reflect on his words silently, tenting his fingers in front of his face, drumming them against each other. Ochako quietly pushes the dessert spoon in her parfait, smooshing all the strawberries anxiously as she waits for him to sort through the mess of his past.

When he finally opens his mouth, it feels like she's watching him pull out his own teeth with a pair of rusty pliers, and she almost regrets asking him anything. "My father and I… well, we _don't_ have the best relationship, contrary to whatever you know about us from the media."

Ochako tries to remember what the media has to say about Endeavor. She knows all about his heroics, but when it came to his family life, absolutely nothing comes to mind. An odd thing, indeed, considering he's the biggest public figure in the country next to the prime minister.

"I'm one of his biggest disappointments," he tells her flatly, like he's describing the weather and not his potentially messed-up childhood. "Because even though he trained me and I took a heroics course in high school, I didn't go pro." He makes an odd sound through his nose, and clarifies, "… at least, not for long."

She nods quietly. She's heard this being talked about in the hospital grapevines, how he only lasted as a pro for a week before he quit the agency for an unknown reason, and how he applied for a pre-med course and finished it a year ahead of the others.

"I'm not going to bore you about the details of why he's… the way he is about quirks and power." Ochako can tell that he's putting a lid on his emotions then, keeping the annoyance from bubbling to the surface. "But because none of his four kids became pros, he's keen on producing at least one strong grandchild, good enough to inherit the title of the next number one hero. He's putting the pressure on all of us." He sighs. "Me, especially, since I'm his so-called masterpiece with both the fire and ice quirk."

Ochako remembers the fierce dragons decorating his back. Before, she wanted to sing praises about its beauty and perfection, but now she knows about the heavy meaning of the design. All she wants to do is give those dragons a big comforting hug, strangely enough.

"So he's actively looking for a woman he deems worthy enough of bearing my children. As disgusting as it sounds." His fingers are tapping incessantly against each other, hot and cold, forming little contrasting puffs of steam that fades in the air between them. "I don't want any poor woman to go through that hell again-"

"Again?" Ochako asks.

He pauses. "Never mind that." He shifts in his seat and stares at her right in the eyes. "The thing about Endeavor though, he cares about his public image. Now, more than ever. He thinks he can corner me into an arranged quirk marriage in front of the country, starting with this ridiculous gala. So if I show everyone that I have someone that I like… a woman that I chose for myself, regardless of the quirk-"

She feels the pink rising to her cheeks again, feels her pulse rushing at the phrase _woman that I chose. Ochako, it isn't true, it's just pretend, get a grip-_

"-then there isn't anything he can do about it. Whoever he's planning to pressure into marrying me will get away from our family scot-free. And… no-one gets hurt." He nods, as if to convince himself that there's no other acceptable outcome to this.

Ochako nods numbly all throughout his explanation. She's overwhelmed, definitely. She wonders what the heck happened to him for things to end up this way. She thinks of the gap between him and his father, and how different her life is from his-growing up poor, but with loving parents, a loving father who only wants her happiness-and Todoroki…

Simply put, she's worried for him. "Todoroki-kun…"

He looks up at her, and then at her hands. Which reached out to hold both of his, across the table, seemingly on their own.

Ochako tries not to blanch too much when she realizes it, but to her relief, he doesn't pull away. "I'm okay with this. Promise. I'll help you."

He blinks. "… you sure?"

"Yes." There's no hesitation in her voice. No urge to faint this time, although there's a little nausea at the back of her throat, when she thinks about how this mission is bigger than it seems. "I'll date you for as long as you need me to, Todoroki-kun. I'll be there for you. And… no-one gets hurt."

He looks right into her eyes again. Piercing blue and onyx, shooting into her heart like laser beams. A smile slowly forms in his mouth, very small and subtle but very real, like the tremors in her heart.

"Okay." He pulls away from her hands briefly, only to take her hands into his own. She's encased in contrasting temperatures, and all she wants to do is melt. "I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you. So…"

She smiles warmly at that. It's the sweetest thing that a pretend-boyfriend has ever told her in her life ever. Even though she isn't sure that it's true. Because she knows the media, and now she knows about Endeavor.

"Thanks… Uraraka." That smile can cure disease, no exaggeration. She wonders why he needs to do neurosurgery at all, if he can just smile like that to every sick patient he sees.

 _You are fucking ridiculous, girl. And lovestruck._ "Ochako. Please," she tells him, as a strange current of courage pulses through her.

"Okay. Ochako." She tries not to die on the spot then. "But you have to call me Shouto."

She steels herself and gives him a smile. "Okay. Shouto-kun."

He hums. "Good enough. For now."

"Ohhhh my gosh~~ This is a dream, isn't it…?"

Ochako blinks, wondering if she gained a new telepathic quirk and everyone can hear what her mind is saying out loud, only to realize that the voice isn't hers and that it came from a floating maid uniform set, who came by with glasses of water.

"Oh," the waitress-Tooru, according to her nameplate-falters in embarrassment, as if she accidentally said her words out loud. "I'm sorry! I'm just really surprised, Doctoroki! This is the first time you brought a date here, and I just can't believe it! A lone wolf like you, being so lovey-dovey… You just… look so cute together, I can't…! I might explode oh my god-"

Ochako feels her cheeks burn up. She looks down on their hands, making sure that Todoroki-no, Shouto-hasn't accidentally activated his quirk on her.

Okay. No actual fire. Only real and palpable embarrassment. Ochako puffs her cheeks to get a hold of herself.

Shouto, as usual, appears unfazed. "Yes. I think this is the first time we went here together," he tells Tooru naturally. "This is Ochako, by the way. She's a nurse from Hosu Gen."

"Oh~ yeah, I see you here sometimes, Ochako-chan! You like Satou-san's chiffon cake too, right? Right?"

The invisible waitress is nothing if not perpetually overexcited, it seems. Ochako thinks it's terribly cute. "I do! I also like the crepes, the parfaits, the cafe liegeois, the madeleines-"

"Yes, yes! And the eclairs, the tiramisu, the creme brullee-"

The girls sigh in unison. "Yeah, Satou-san's just that good at making pastries," says the waitress dreamily, before snapping back to reality. "Ah, sorry, I totally went off the rails again. Doctoroki, I was supposed to check if guys needed anything more…"

Ochako looks across from her, and sees an uncharacteristically warm smile on Shouto's face for a split second, before his face goes back to normal. "We're good. Just the check, please."

 _Gosh… I must be dreaming, huh._ She looks down on her hands as Tooru chirps and turns away to get them the check.

An unnatural silence falls over them immediately. Ochako dares herself to look up, and sees that Todoroki is staring at her unabashedly.

"So," he starts, suddenly awkward. "I'll pick you up later? Is seven okay?"

Oh. In her lovestruck haze, she almost forgot about the actual mission. "Yes. Seven is okay." She looks at her watch. It's already past four. _Fuck._ "Yeah. I can… make it by seven."

She has an old rose-coloured jersey dress somewhere in her closet somewhere, hidden among her mess of scrub suits and sportswear. It's a little outdated, and she'll smell like naphthalene, and she isn't sure if she gained weight since she last wore it, but it's better than nothing. Doctoroki, you should have really pretend-asked-her-out to the biggest gala of the year a little earlier!

"Okay…"He's a little uneasy when he tells her, "If you want-I mean, only _if_ you need help, that is… I asked someone to help us out."

She gasps happily. "Oh, that'd be _so great,_ Doc-I mean, Shouto-kun! I mean, if it's not a bother for them, of course… I mean, I don't want to smell like mothballs…"

"It's okay. They owe me," is all he says, not even bothering to look confused at what she said. He takes out his phone to send them a message, most likely. "I'll drop you off there and come back for you at seven. Don't worry about anything else."

"Okay," she says, breathily.

Todoroki stares at her with concern. "It's still okay to back out, Ochako," he says carefully.

His left hand reaches across the table and touches the back of her right hand. Warmth fills her from the inside out.

She nods. "I'm… okay, Shouto-kun." She smiles at him. "Let's date Endeavor's brains outta their frickin' minds! Or something. _Yosh!_ "

He laughs for a grand total of five seconds, and Ochako thinks that it's worth it to faint and to listen to his childhood fears, if it meant hearing that lovely sound again.

* * *

 _Is this a good idea?_

Shouto finds himself asking this question over and over as he drives Uraraka to their next destination. At their first stoplight, he catches the pensive look in her eyes from the reflection of the window on the oftentimes-empty passenger seat, and he wonders if she's thinking the same thing too.

 _Can we pull this off, Uraraka?_ He thinks of this as he appreciates how well she fits in the seat next to him, but doesn't voice it out.

(No, not Uraraka. Ochako, her name is Ochako. Tea, like his favorite drink. And child, as childlike as her bright eyes and round cheeks are.)

The drive doesn't take long, and they make it with exactly two hours for her to prepare. When they get to the place, Ochako stares at him in disbelief. "Oh… we're back here."

"Yes," he says, helping her out of the car and to the entrance of _Illusion Ink_. She reaches for his hand, and again he feels the soft fingerpads pressing into his palm.

 _Pink. Soft. Round._

"Um," she says with clear hesitation as they walk in the cool, pink-and-purple interiors of the tattoo parlour. "Am I… getting another tattoo, Doc-I mean, Shouto-kun?"

"I'd love to ink your awesome bod again, fam, but not tonight."

Utsushimi Camie saunters out from the back, wearing her usual form-hugging dress that shows off her curves and exposed enough of the skin of her arms, legs, and chest to show off her arsenal of tattoos. She's a beauty, a walking canvas, and you know she knows it by the way she moves. A lazy smile is on her face as she spreads her arms in front of the couple. "Hey, Todobroki and Ura-rocka~ I feel like I haven't seen y'allz for an entire day!"

"Oh… Camie-chan," the nurse stammers. Ochako's mouth is open wide in astonishment, as if she's looking at an actual work of art. Shouto doesn't have time to wonder why this bothers him before they're simultaneously engulfed in a half-unwelcome hug (on his part only, much to his chagrin).

"Utsushimi-san is also a make-up artist," he explains to the still star-struck Ochako, once they're released from her embrace. "I also asked for her help for your formal wear, since I know it won't be easy looking for one on short notice."

He tries not to mind the way that Utsushimi is circling Ochako, looking at the smaller woman from all angles. His pretend-girlfriend doesn't seem to be bothered by her hungry eyes, so he really shouldn't be either. Right.

"Ya~ Really, Todobroki, you totes shouldn't put your new day-old bae through so much trouble," she tells him with a playful pucker of her lips, as she makes a show of fluffing up Ochako's soft-looking strands. He sees her long, manicured claws gently brush soft, reddening cheeks. _God, just stop being so flirty, won't you, Utsushimi? She isn't yours, she's-_

He stops that train of thought right in its misinformed tracks.

"Oh, it's not so bad," Ochako says with an overwhelmed laugh. "It's so awesome of you to lend me a dress, Camie-chan! My old one's going to stand out in a bad way…"

"Oh no, bae, you're gettin' new duds, 'kay? When Todobroki texted me a couple hours ago, I just went wild and bought the nicest thing they had on the shelf."

"Huh?" Ochako looks at him with another look of disbelief. "Shouto-kun, I can't just-"

"It's fine." He promised Utsushimi that he'll pay her back for all of Ochako's things, plus interest for making her go out of the way. The artist texted him the prices-just a little under 100,000 yen. It'll be no trouble at her to compensate her for her efforts.

Well, it isn't so bad. But maybe the two of them shouldn't tell Ochako the price. She looks distressed enough as it is. "It's the least I can do. Don't worry about it." He gives her the most comforting look he can muster. He isn't sure if it works to ease her discomfort.

"Yeah, it's just chump change, fam! Anyways, time's a-wasting." She pushes Ochako towards the washroom, and finally gets her claws off of her. "Now go and wash your face, so we can start workin' on your make-up. This is going to be lit AF!"

Dazed, Ochako can do nothing but do as the artist says. When she shuts the door to the washroom, Utsushimi huffs and turns to him. "You can go home and get ready, Bro. I got this."

"Okay. Thanks again, Utsushimi."

"Mhm. Always here for you, fam. You really helped me out that one time, with all those kids, after all." There's a mischievous smile on her face when she saunters closer to him. "You know, Todobroki..."

Her tone is a little too teasing. He rolls his eyes. "What is it now?"

A shit eating grin is on her face when she declares, "Jealousy isn't a good look on most people, but you wear it well."

He scowls and looks away in annoyance. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She flicks the skin of his right cheek, making the thickening layer of frost that's formed on it crack under her manicured nail.

"... shut up." Thoroughly embarrassed and cursing his quirk, he puts his left hand over his cheek, making the ice melt. Utsushimi cackles victoriously.

"I'm not going to steal your girl, Todobroki, and from what I've seen, she ain't going anywhere without you. Different story though, if you don't treat her well. That's all I wanna say."

"Right." Noble words, but at that moment, Shouto makes up his mind that Utsushimi absolutely mustn't know about the fake-dating scheme. He won't ever allow Ochako to fall in the clutches of her ridiculously painted claws. "I… should go."

Without sparing a second glance, the dual-toned man leaves the parlor, with a quiet anxiety residing in his heart.

* * *

Shouto comes back to Illusion Inks at exactly 6:58 PM, with an ostentatious limousine that his father sent for him. He steps out and leans against the door, waiting for his date. For the meantime, he adjusts his cuff-links, his navy-blue silk tie, and smooths the contours of his dark dress suit.

He stares at himself in the mirror: he's combed his hair back and styled it as best as he can. He doesn't look too bad, he supposes. Although, like this, his scar is unforgivingly exposed for all to see. He doesn't care that it is-in fact, he'd flaunt it in front of all of Endeavor's admirers, but…

 _I hope Ochako won't be too uncomfortable seeing it like this,_ he thinks. And then stops himself. He's sure she has seen it before, so he shouldn't be worrying about stupid things like that.

Yes… she'd be okay with it. They're not really together, but somehow he's sure. She'd be okay with what he really looks like.

Not like the rest of the world who's come to see his father, probably. But he doesn't care about them. And they shouldn't care about him, an ex-pro hero who retired at the age of 17. Whose father, the top hero of the country, beat him up and bruised him up and made his mother hate him-

No. Stop. Your hands are trembling. The night hasn't even begun yet.

Deep breaths, Shouto. His breath comes out as a fog in the humid air.

Deep breaths.

The door to the shop opens, interrupting his reverie. Utsushimi steps out, gives him a smug little smirk, and calls out over her shoulder, "Ochako? Babe? Your bae's here, looking like an absolute snack~"

He hears her voice, bright and a little awkward and warm. "Coming~ Sorry, the dress is a little tight-"

Shouto raises his eyebrows in concern. He doesn't know what he expects from Utsushimi's fashion sense, and he momentarily worries that she got her a gothic-lolita type of garment, with those Victorian-style bony corsets that were notorious for making women faint. And Ochako has fainted enough for one day...

"It is _not._ It is perfect on you. Come on, let's blow his mind already!" The voluptuous woman is absolutely giddy as she waits for the smaller woman to come out, and Shouto's worry escalates.

 _Oh._

He blinks seeing the vision before him. He knows that logically, it can only be Uraraka Ochako, but he's never seen this breathtaking version of her before. Her hair is done up in an elaborate bun. The skin of her face and her bare shoulders shimmered and glowed under the neon signage of the parlor. Utsushimi dressed her up in a deceptively simple tube dress, the colour of which reminded Shouto of peonies. When she moved, light reflected of it like pinpricks, giving the illusion of starlight.

Ochako looks back at him with a bashful look on her face. "Um… do I look okay?"

He nods numbly. It's all he's able to do. He can't even look at anything else, much less the self-satisfied grin that Utsushimi probably has on her face at that moment.

"You look more than okay, bae! You're like, the personification of the 100 emoji. That's how amazing you look. Right, Todobroki?"

He nods again. Ochako's cheeks turn a little pinker and begins to descend the steps. It's only then that he sees the thigh-high slit on the left side, exposing a cream-coloured, toned thigh. "It's a little tight at the hips..." she mumbles bashfully.

"It is not. It is, like. Bam! Perfect gams, perfect yams, all in a pretty pink package. You can thank me later, Todobroki," Utsushimi says, in response to his astonished silence.

"Camie-chan, stop!"

She giggles. "So, I guess this is where I say adios and have fun, my kids. You take care of Ochako-chan now, you hear me Shouto?"

He nods vaguely in her direction. "Okay." He holds out his hand, and Ochako takes it easily. The soft fingerpads brush against his calluses again, making the air around him lighter.

"Ready?"

The girl nods at him, with steely determination in her wide brown eyes. "Yeah. Ready."

They get in the limousine, swallow down their nerves simultaneously, and drive off into the night.

* * *

AN:

I don't know about you but I love those scenes in chick flicks where the guy looks at the girl's makeover for the first time

Camie will totally steal yo girl if you mistreat her

Also Kirimina would be totally awesome cool af parents


	4. 3: Is He Going To Make It?

**Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea  
** Chapter 4: Is He Going To Make It?

* * *

Ochako feels like her entire body is floating.

It's not the pleasant, head-in-the-clouds, butterflies-in-stomach feeling other people describe when they're in the merciless throes of their first high school love, no. This is relentless torture to her innards. This is unsteady breathing and arrhythmias. This is pure fuckin' vertigo when she's spinning in zero-gravity, a hundred kilometers from the surface of the earth.

"You okay, Ochako?"

Yep. That would be Stupid Sexy Shouto ™, looking absolutely gorgeous in a suit-a sight that she never thought she'd see live and up close in her lifetime. It took a lot of control not to swoon when she saw him waiting for her outside of Camie's tattoo parlor, 'looking like an absolute snack' in the woman's terms.

Right now though, she's trying her darndest to focus her vision at a point at the distance, far far away from where he's sitting quietly and talking to her with a gentle voice designed to soothe her nerves, which steadfastly refused to be soothed.

"I'm okay, doc. I mean, Shouto." She keeps her eyes out the window, focusing on the Zurampu Towers in the middle of the city - a bright, gaudy structure, far away enough that she could focus on it to keep the nausea at bay. "I'm just nervous… I'll be okay. Promise."

"You're green, though." She hears him move closer to her. The scent of his cologne, a spicy little mix of refined herbs that she probably won't be able to pronounce, gently tickles her nostrils. She doesn't know what the scent does to her nausea, but she feels her stomach flip and flop and gives in to the impulse to hold her breath.

"I'm okay." She says, like a liar. She couldn't even turn around to look at Doctoroki in the eye, like in a proper polite conversation between two normal human beings on a date.

(… on a date! To _the_ biggest fuckin' gala of the year! Dating! In front of Endeavor, the number one hero in Japan and the rest of Japan too! Ochako what the fuck! Have you gotten yourself into!)

(Okay. That's enough. We've established that the past couple of chapters. Calm down stomach calm down butterflies please calm down.)

"I have antivertigo patches here. You want one?"

The limo lurches forward, and the scanty contents of her stomach (half of the pancake from earlier and ginger tea from Camie's) threaten to rise from its depths to the tip of her esophagus. She weakly nods, and holds out her hand for the patch.

But her palm feels nothing. Instead, she feels a lock of her hair pushed forward. Warm and cold fingertips touch her earlobe, and the skin behind her ear, so gently that she isn't sure that she's being touched at first. It only takes a second.

She reaches out to touch the back of her ear, and the patch is there. She stares at the doctor beside her, who is quietly regarding her with interest.

He gives her a very small smile. "Good?"

"Um. Yes." Forget nausea. All her heart's skipped beats will absolutely kill her first.

The limousine slows down when the throngs of people become thicker and thicker. Ochako loses sight of the towers at a distance. She moves to tighten her arms close to her to secure her churning belly.

She feels Shouto's cold hand on her shoulder. Their eyes meet. A determination, cold and fierce, glows from his mismatched ones, and she feels them reflected on her own.

It's showtime.

* * *

When they emerge from the limousine, Shouto is ever the gentleman, opening the door for her and making sure she doesn't fall on her face stepping out into the open. It's a real possibility, after all. The blinding flash of lights, the screams from the sidelines, and the humidity of the air wash over her, like she jumped into a boiling hot sauna in the middle of summer.

"Stay close to me," she hears him whisper in her ear, as she clings on to his arm for dear life. The nausea starts to fade away, chip by chip, thanks to the scopolamine patch that Doctoroki snuck-stuck at the skin behind her ear, but the lightheadedness stubbornly remains.

"Ochako?"

She looks up at him-there's concern in his gaze, accompanied by an apologetic look. No, she can't let him think that she's too weak for this-it's not about her, after all, it's about supporting _him,_ because _he_ needs _her._

Ochako, don't be a baby. Slay them, as Camie advised earlier. She nods with a determined smile on her face.

She barely hears the calming "okay" he gives her. People from the sidelines begin to shout "Shouto! Shouto! Over here!" over and over. Amazing, how he still has fans brandishing their own custom-made merchandise, even though he's technically a civilian now. He doesn't pay them any attention, and steadily escorts the mildly bewildered nurse down the red carpet.

Ochako tries not to stumble in Camie's glimmering five-inch stiletto heels as Shouto leads them to the entrance. It's an even bigger mess of flashing lights and noise when they enter the hall, as reporters and camera crews from different TV stations, websites, and other platforms practically have a brawl to get the pros' attention. From her vantage point, Ochako is able to see the heroes she's looked up to when she was younger - Enigma, Edgeshot, Gunhead…

"Well, if my ol' eyes don't deceive me! Ain't that Todoroki Shouto?! The former half-ice, half-hot hero, Shouto?!"

Shouto and Ochako freeze in their tracks as a sonic-boom of sound engulfs them from the side. Clutching her ears, she turns to the sound of the noise, and finds herself directly face-to-face with a blinding and just-as-loud combination of yellow and orange and red.

"... and a really beautiful date too!" The man, with his distinctive blonde hair that stood up 3 feet from his scalp, isn't even holding a microphone. His bellows ring out all over the entrance hall and overwhelms the noise of the crowd around them. "What a beautiful couple! Come on, ya got a few moments to spare for Present Mic, The Mouth That Just Won't Take A Hike?"

She gives a little yelp and attempts to hide behind Shouto-they had agreed to avoid reporters as much as they can, after all-but to her surprise, the doctor gives her a little nod and takes a step closer to Present Mic and his small crew-a bitter-looking photographer/videographer with brown hair who doesn't look like he's having a good time, and an anxious-looking sound guy with blue hair, who also doesn't look like he's having a good time. Uraraka feels like she has to give them an apologetic look when the prominent radio show host puts an arm around Todoroki and begins his interview.

"Man, I don't think you've been under the public eye for the past, what…? Five years?"

"Eight years," Todoroki answers calmly, amidst the camera flashes.

Present Mic whistles. "Eight years, and you're a neurosurgeon now, I hear!"

"I'm training to be one, yes."

"Wow, _still_ training for it! The road to medicine ain't an easy path to take, I bet! I should know, I got a good buddy who's in that line of work too." The radio show host saunters closer to Ochako and throws an arm around her. "And you, my dear, must be Dr. Todoroki's date! Care to tell me yer name?"

The surly photographer trains all his cameras on her face. She hopes that she doesn't look how she feels, which is as terrified as a chicken about to be slaughtered. "Uraraka Ochako, Mr. Present Mic sir!"

"Uraraka! Beautiful name! Suits a beautiful girl like you! Doc, you sure know how to pick 'em! How are you two related? Ya work together or something?"

"Y… yes, I work as a nurse-"

"Whoa! That's cool, that ain't an easy job I bet! Ya know, this gala is held in honor of the pro-heroes who risk their lives to help the human race enjoy the peace a little more, but I think society owes the two of you and the rest of your crew its due thanks, yeah? Thanks to your hard work, heroes and us civilians get a chance to enjoy the peace in good health, yeah?"

Ochako can't help but beam at his words. "W-we just do what we can to help, that's all," she stammers bashfully. She begins to understand why Shouto allowed himself to be interviewed by Present Mic-he seems to be one of the more decent reporters out here.

"Awright! Now Todoroki-san, don't move, I ain't forgot about you yet!" The journalist still has his arm around the doctor, and is pushing his face closer to his. "Now, we all know that this Gala is also going to be held in honor of your dad, the present #1 pro-Hero in Japan-"

She tries not to look too uneasy at the predictable, yet unwanted turn of questioning. Shouto's face does not betray any uneasiness, however, as Present Mic continues.

"Got a message for your dear old Dad before the rest of Japan honors him?"

It's subtle, but Ochako feels a sudden tension in the air. Seems that the crew feels it too. Their faces suddenly scrunch up in concentration as they aim their gizmos to the dual-toned doctor, who keeps his face neutral.

Todoroki nods. "Endeavor… deserves all this. As number one."

Ochako turns to him with a questioning stare. He's looking straight at the camera with a stone-cold glare. His voice is flat as it's always been, but up close the girl sees the subtle clench of his jaw, hears the tension in his voice. Almost like he's issuing a challenge…

"Aaaaaand there ya have it, guys and gals and nonbinary pals!" Whatever secret communication there was between the two, it's now over as Present Mic signals for Uraraka to come closer. "This is Present Mic from Put Yer Hands Up! Whether yer listening to us on the radio or on Facebook Live or on Youtube, stay tuned for more of the 51st annual pro heroes Gala! Oi, Kaibara, take a photo of me next to them, hurry! I better not look old in them!"

"Yes boss." The surly-looking photographer is on it before Ochako can process anything. "Say cheese," he says in an incompatible monotone, and after three flashes it's over.

"Okay, now just the two of them!" Present Mic, much like an overexcited auntie who's seeing his niece and her boyfriend for the first time, takes out his own smartphone to take shots of the fake couple. Ochako can only look at both cameras, her face frozen in place, as she feels Shouto's hand wrap around her shoulder, pulling her closer.

"You're doing great," she hears him whisper, as more flashes blind her. There are other interested photographers and journalists paying them attention now, but unlike before Shouto ignores them completely. With one protective arm around her, he guides them further along the entrance.

"Um, if you don't mind my asking… you're okay with Present Mic, but not the others-"

Keeping his eyes straight ahead, Shouto answers curtly, "He's the only decent journalist here. The rest of them is trash."

"Oh."

"And trust me… you don't want to be the focus of their trash articles," he tells her with a low voice. He curves them away from a number of them, shoving microphones right at his face. "Tch. They should really just focus on the pros. We're just extras here, after all."

No need to remind her of that. She feels rather small and insignificant as she sees more big names on the carpet-politicians, movie stars, pop idols, looking happy as hell to answer all the reporters' questions. All of them probably fought tooth and nail for invites to this event to be able to walk next to the pros.

Moving on, Shouto leads them closer to the main hall. Since most of the pros are walking around and chatting, the reporter situation is worse here than it is outside. Ochako could barely hear her thoughts within the noise of the shutterclicks and reporters yelling at them left and right.

"Hey, is that you, Shouto?"

He stops at the voice. "Usagiyama-san. It's you."

Ochako can hardly believe the sight before her: the Rabbit Hero, Miruko, pure strength and energy and fire, clad in a form-fitting white gown that showed off the muscles of her arms and shoulders that have likely beaten many a villain to Kingdom Come. When she walked, the slit of her gown showed off one of her famous thighs, which many a modern poet has written sonnets about.

The nurse forces her mouth closed to keep one of those sonnets from escaping it.

She walks closer to them, Ochako feeling her heavy steps underneath the ground as she does so. She pats Shouto on the shoulder with one strong arm. "Wow, look at you, all grown up~ all those years away from Endeavor Agency has been good for ya, huh?! I guess your dad's as big a stressor as he's always been, huh?! Huh?!"

She's nothing if not brash. Ochako tries not to gape too much at her bold declarations.

Thankfully, Shouto doesn't seem to mind this at all. "Yes. You're right," he easily agrees without a trace of emotion in his voice. Makes one wonder about the trauma he's been through, but Miruko only looks more amused at his answer.

The rabbit hero cackles and strikes his back further. "You are as blunt and jaded as ever, Shouto! You _gotta know_ how stressed Ryuko was 'cos of your dad for the past week! He's been bugging her for a date for you, you know!"

Shouto huffs in annoyance, but doesn't say anything.

"... but I'm glad you found someone at the last moment, you ice prince you." Miruko directs her gaze this time to Ochako, whose brain shuts down upon seeing Japan's number four hero up close. "And a cute li'l thing, at that! What's your name, darling?"

"U… Uraraka Ochako," she breathes. Miruko's hand is _so strong_ , all her well-formed muscles beneath smooth tanned skin ripple with the simple movement. It takes all of Ochako's will not to drool at this. "I'm… such a big fan of yours! Thank you for all your service!"

"Welcome! Thanks for lookin' out for this kid. God knows he needs it."

She cackles again, and Shouto looks very much like a kid in a family reunion being cornered by a particularly pushy auntie. Ochako tries not to go _pfft_ at the comical scene.

"Is Tatsuma-san with you tonight?" Shouto asks, in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

"Yeah. She's over there, being nice to reporters, as usual." Miruko huffs and rolls her eyes. It's no secret that she's one of those heroes who hates 'PR and all that shit,' according to her own words. Looks like she won't grow into her girlfriend's kind habit of indulging the press. "She's showin' off her ex-sidekick to everyone. "

They look at the direction that Miruko's rabbit ear bends, and sees the Dragoon Hero Ryukyu, looking refined in her trademark qipao, blood-red and embroidered with dragons.

Shouto pauses. "That's…" he trails off, when Ryukyu moves aside to present her former sidekick.

The first thing Ochako notices is the blinding glow of her smooth, pale skin. Her black hair fell around her face and her bare shoulders like a curtain, moving smoothly and impossibly organized with every small motion she makes. Her face is small and symmetrical, her eyes dark and mysterious, her face impassive but breathtaking, like she's holding a million secrets. She's wearing a simple white gown, nothing too daring or too conservative, yet so classic and eyecatching, and it's impossible for her or anyone else to take their eyes off her…

"Kodai Yui," Miruko answers for them both. "Pretty little thing, isn't she? Ryuko had a hard time, but she had just convinced her to be your date before Endeavor told us you already had one."

Ochako feels her stomach tighten. Did she just compete with the Size Hero Yui to be Todoroki Shouto's date?!

Yui, one of the three youngest heroes on the top 25 rankings in Japan?! Who was also voted as the #1 most beautiful Japanese heroine, making it on the top 100 Most Beautiful Women on the planet in international magazines?! Also, whose recently released photobook sold out within minutes and caused a stampede at the Wookies mall?

 _What the fuck,_ Ochako screams in her head. _She's perfect._

"That so," Shouto says. His tone is flat, but Ochako sees him stare at the heroine for a second longer.

 _She's perfect for him._ Something sharp pokes through any pride she has, and she doesn't stop it. _They're perfect for each other._

No, she didn't compete with her. Shouto sounds like he didn't know that he was to be set up with her. Maybe if he knew, he wouldn't be so adamant about disagreeing with Endeavor's choices.

(Because face it, Ochako, objectively, they would be a good match. Good quirks, good genes. They look like they'd get along well too.)

Maybe then, he wouldn't have needed to corner Ochako into this complicated fake-dating scheme.

Maybe it would have been better if she wasn't here.

Ochako, funnily enough, wishes she had Yui's quirk, because she feels like shrinking into herself. She tries not to look too down when Ryukyu turns to their direction and tells Yui to follow her.

"Shouto!" The Dragoon Hero hugs the half-and-half doctor briefly, with the latter stiffly returning it. "Look at you, all grown up! I haven't seen you in ages! You look great!"

"Thank you. As do you." Shouto turns to Ochako, his face as unreadable as always. "This is Uraraka Ochako. She's with me."

 _Is he vague? He sounds vague. Oh no he's being vague about me._ A little weaker now, Ochako politely lifts her hand and shakes one of her favourite Heroine's strong hand. "Good evening! I'm a fan of yours as well! Thank you so much for all you've done for us!"

She hopes her enthusiasm isn't as fake as it sounds in her head. Whatever it sounds like, Ryukyu is graceful about it and regards her with a smile. "It's nice to meet you. You work in the same place as Shouto does as a nurse, I hear! That's simply amazing."

"Y… yes," she stammers. "Oh, but it's nothing compared to the work you guys do…"

"Nonsense. No job is more important than the other. We all do what we can to help." Her gracefulness and humility is so _blinding,_ Ochako feels herself and her petty insecurities dwindle down into nothing. "So, Shouto, things didn't go as I originally planned, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I still introduced you to Kodai-san."

Up close, Yui's more blinding than she ever was. When she moves to hold her hand out to Shouto, it's so graceful, like watching an angel descend from the heavens to grant blessings to a mortal. "Good evening. I'm Kodai." Her tone is flat, but oddly musical at the same time.

"Todoroki," Shouto says, taking her hand and briefly gripping it. Cameras flash around them, encasing their otherworldly grace and beauty in a shared halo.

Yui nods quietly and shifts her unreadable dark eyes to Ochako. "Good evening. I'm Kodai," she repeats, holding out her hand to her.

"G-good evening! I'm Urarara-I mean, Uraraka Ochako," she stammers, taking her hand. She smells jasmine, sees her slim silhouette hiding beneath the shimmering white cloth. Next to her, the nurse feels awkward and lumpy and unattractive. Much like a sausage placed next to a porcelain doll.

Yui pauses as she holds Ochako's hand. She notices then that she's staring at her tattoo-Jirou's day-old outline of Saturn and its rings and moons against a cloud of space dust.

"Your tattoo," Yui says, after what seems like an eternity of silence.

"... yes?"

"It's lovely." Slowly, the dark-haired woman releases her hand. There's only a slight upturn of one corner of her mouth as she stares into her face. Ochako isn't sure if she's being mocked, or if the woman is being genuine. In any case, she's more than a little perturbed.

Ignoring the obviously awkward encounter, Ryukyu goes on to explain, "Kodai was one of my best sidekicks in my agency, but recently she had enough support to establish her own agency with a couple of other heroes. We all have a lot of expectations for them. They're going to be a powerful team."

"I see," Shouto answers. Yui nods.

 _Gosh, they're so similar and compatible! Dammit, what the hell am I doing here?!_

Miruko nudges Shouto teasingly and painfully at the ribs. "You ain't curious about the shmucks Yui's teamed-up with? One of them is a fella you know very, very well."

Shouto and Ochako look at her knowing grin questioningly. But before anyone can ask, thudding footsteps and a guffaw accompanied by a gust of wind resonates from the other side of the red carpet. The reporters suddenly cause a commotion and rush to that side, and out of curiosity the doctor and nurse raise their heads to see what it's about.

They freeze simultaneously.

A giant of a man, dressed in a dark red suit and a coat with fur trimmings is shouting his answers to all the reporters hounding him. Ochako would recognize that man anywhere-Yoarashi Inasa, hero name Reppu, present number ten in all of Japan and just recently one of Endeavor's more popular sidekicks. He seems to be causing a noisy ruckus, as he usually does whatever the setting. Ochako isn't sure if he's the reason why Shouto froze in his steps, but…

As for her…

"Seismic! Look here! Over here!"

The first thing she sees, as she has ten years ago, is his lazy, devil-may-care smile. He's taller now, still lean but with more bulk to show off under his nicely-fitting dark suit. His wavy hair is as unruly as it's ever been, tweaked and styled to look like he just rolled off the bed. A little inelegant, but the overall look suits him, if the screams of his fans from outside are any indication.

 _Oh no… why tonight, of all times?_ Ochako turns away, praying to all the powers that be that she isn't seen. _Okay. Calm down. He's way over there, he's a pro now, and he's famous. He wouldn't know you're here. He wouldn't care, even if he did. You should be fine, Ochako._

Shouto seems to notice her distress. "Ochako."

She looks up at him. "Do you want to go?" she asks, at the exact same time he does.

They pause. "Yes," they say, again at the same time.

Miruko, Ryukyu, and Yui look at them in curiosity.

"Good," Shouto tells her, clasping her hand protectively in his warm one. "Excuse us," he tells the women, barely giving them a nod, before he speedwalks them through the crowd of pros, celebrities, and reporters.

It's hard to tell with the cacophony of interviews and shutterclicks behind them, but Ochako hears someone shout, "OI! IS THAT TODOROKI?!" behind them.

And softly, but still audible, another voice: "… Uraraka?"

The couple spares no-one a second glance. They make it past the crowd and through the heavy glass doors, where they're met with relative quiet.

* * *

Shouto doesn't stop walking until they make next to a pillar in the ballroom which is sure to be out of eye-and-earshot from the entrance. Luckily, the gala isn't set to start for more than half an hour, and there are only a few pros and staff walking about.

He exhales in relief. Yoarashi Inasa, the second loudest man on the face of the earth, only second to Present Mic, almost cornered him. He doesn't hate the guy, at least not anymore, but he really doesn't want to answer any of the invasive questions he's sure to ask. And he has Ochako to look out for.

"You okay?" Next to him, Ochako looks a little shaken. He's worried that she isn't over her carsickness yet despite the patch next to her ear, and that all the unnecessary interactions outside made her feel worse.

"I'm fine," she says, taking one deep breath.

Shouto hums. He isn't sure that she really is. "Promise?"

"Yeah. Promise." She laughs awkwardly. "Are pro-hero galas always this crazy?"

"Sometimes it's worse," he answers honestly. There's a reason why he hasn't been to one in years. Endeavor has just been extra pushy this year. "I thought I heard someone calling for you back there-"

"H-huh? I didn't notice," she says, eyes wide. "I was _sure_ I heard someone yelling your name back there, though…

Hm. Must be his imagination then.

"But honestly, Shouto, I'm fine. I'm not nauseous or anything." She stands up a little straighter to prove her point. But a noticeable pallour still predominates her usually pink cheeks. "I told you I'll be here for you, so I will be. Don't worry about me!"

"Okay." Shouto nods and looks at her up and down. She's steady. Shouto is impressed that they're able to pull it off-that she's able to pull this off, appearing so natural and comfortable beside him. "You're doing very well, Ochako. But if at any point you feel uneasy or anything, tell me. We can leave anytime you need to, just-"

"No. _She_ can leave. _You_ have to stay."

Shouto frowns when the world's most annoying sound makes it to his ear. He turns and faces the flaming visage with a poisonous scowl. "Endeavor. That's a rude thing to say to my _girlfriend,_ " he tells him evenly.

Endeavor has his arms crossed in front of him sternly when he looms over the couple. "I'm not being rude, I'm being considerate. I'm merely pointing out that if she needs to leave because she's… _overwhelmed,_ she's free to do so. Why, I can have a service drop her off at her home at any point in time. Uraraka-san, you understand my intentions, don't you?"

Ochako's voice is steady and sure when she replies, "Of course, Mr. Endeavor sir! Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm feeling fine. I'll be here supporting you and Shouto-san as much as I can."

A polite and proper reply, more than what the old man deserves. Endeavor hums thoughtfully. "If you insist, Uraraka-san. But I am in no way obliging you to stay. I hope you understand as much."

Oh, Shouto understands as much. There's no way that he's staying here if Ochako isn't. "Endeavor-"

His words are cut off when a pale hand holds onto Endeavor's arm. "Dad, there you are! What are you doing here? Hawks is waiting for you backstage, and-"

The woman stops and gasps. "Oh my-Shou-chan! You made it!"

Shouto's vision is suddenly filled with snow white with specks of red when Todoroki Fuyumi embraces him and kisses him on the cheek. "Fuyumi-nee, it's good to see you."

"Oh look at you! You haven't been home in so long, I'm starting to forget what you looked like!" Her glasses shine excitedly as she drinks him in, and shines even more when her onyx eyes falls over his date. "Oh, is this…?"

"Yes. She's the one," Shouto says. The sentence feels different somehow, now that Fuyumi is the one hearing it. An odd tendril of warmth tickles his chest as his older sister embraces Ochako without any second thoughts. "This is Uraraka Ochako."

"Oh my, Ochako-chan! What a beautiful name! I'm Todoroki Fuyumi! It's so good to meet you! Shou-chan, you silly-how could you keep her secret from the rest of us?"

Ochako laughs weakly and embraces her back. "It's nice too meet you too, Fuyumi-san…"

"Please! Call me Fuyumi-nee! You will, eventually," she giggles when the flustered brunette turns cherry red. "Shou, you have to introduce her to Nacchi too, okay? I'm sure that jock is here somewhere with Iida-san-"

Having been thoroughly ignored, Endeavor clears his throat. "Fuyumi, I'm sure they can look for Natsuo on their own. Take me backstage now."

Fuyumi flinches and gives the couple an apologetic smile. "All right, dad. I'll see you later, Shou-chan and Ochako-chan!"

As Fuyumi drags their improper father away, Shouto turns Ochako away from that sight as soon as possible. "Sorry about that," he tells her with shame. "He's an ass. But you know that already."

Ochako makes a sound of understanding. "Your sister is lovely, though. I like her."

"Yes. She is." Lovely is a severe understatement, but Shouto doesn't tell her that or any other guresome details to explain why. Fuyumi's the only thing keeping the family together, after all. "Now, I guess I have to look for our seats…"

It doesn't take them long to find their seats-a loud, familiar voice at their three o'clock directs them to it. "Todoroki Nacchi-kun! Hatsume Mei-kun! This technology is amazing! Innovation par excellence! Bravo! Bravo! Bravissimo!"

"Is that-" Ochako begins, but doesn't need to continue. Iida Tenya, intensivist, is standing straight as a ruler, clapping both hands loudly overhead. In front of him, Iida Tensei is, amazingly enough, standing on his own two legs, supported by what appears to be sleek robot supports. Next to him are a pink-haired sleep-deprived woman clad in a suit, and an obviously distressed Todoroki Natsuo, who has his arms out and ready to catch the pro in case he falls.

"Cool, isn't it, Tenya?" Ingenium, who has been out of commission for the past few years because of an unfortunate spinal accident, takes one step to the right. "Idaten Research has been working on this tech for a while. Mei-chan made this new model just for tonight. Hasn't been tested yet, which is risque, I have to admit, but-"

"No kabooms so far, right?" The woman named Hatsume grins maniacally as she assists Tensei via remote control. "This baby's the best one yet! Ingenium will be back in business soon!"

"That, or back in the hospital with his neck broken," Natsuo says in exasperation. Obviously he thinks that Tensei is too wobbly. He grasps the taller man by both arms and keeps him steady. When Shouto and Ochako walk closer to them, he grins. "Well, well, look who decided to show up~"

Iida Tenya gasps and answers Natsuo's rhetorical remark. "Why, it's my colleague from the Neurosurgery Service, Todoroki Shouto-kun! And if my eyes do not deceive me-" He peers closer to Ochako, eyeglasses flashing intimidatingly, "-he is accompanied by Uraraka Ochako-kun, from Hosu Gen's Operating Room Nursing Team!"

"Evening," Shouto and Ochako offer weakly before they're cut off again by the more enthusiastic Iida.

"I was not aware that the two of you are each other's significant other! Am I daft for not knowing the two of you are involved in this manner? Furthermore, I am not aware of any hospital policies regarding relationships in between employees-why, for your sakes I shall have to review the guidelines accordingly, we cannot have either of you breaking any rules and being summoned to HR-"

"Dr. Iida, please! I-it's not against any rules!" Ochako squeaks, her cheeks glowing in embarrassment.

"Tenya, stop!" Iida Tensei laughs. "You have to excuse my forthright little brother. There's a good reason why he's single."

Shouto hums in understanding. Iida looks affronted, with his mouth opening into a perfect square. "I beg to differ, _oni-san._ I don't see why pointing out their possibly illicit relationship is in anyway related to-"

"Okay, okay. Come on, Tenya, help me to my chair…"

As the Iidas and Hatsume shrink in their seats, Natsuo finally has enough freedom to give Shouto and Ochako bear hugs in succession. "Shouto, it's good to see you again," he tells him. To the girl, he says, "It's so nice to meet you! Thanks for taking care of Shouto!"

"It's nice to meet you too, Natsuo-san!" Ochako says, returning the hug.

"Hey, don't be so formal. Call me Nacchi. _Onii-chan_ works too."

Again, Ochako turns beet red at the statement. Shouto thinks that the shade on her soft, pink cheeks is perfect on her. Still, he has to look out for her. "Don't force her into anything weird, Natsuo- _nii_."

"Hey, it's not weird." The white-haired Todoroki points his thumb at the Idaten Research Team. "That's weird. I'm just an innocent physical therapist being sucked in their black hole of weird."

Any worries that Shouto has regarding the oddness of his family is eased when he hears Ochako giggling openly next to him. He could get used to it and the lightness that comes with it.

"So, Shouto." The older brother takes on a low tone and looks at him straight in the eye. "You know that the old man wants you up that stage to give him his award, right?"

He senses Ochako look at him in surprise when he nods.

"Are you… okay with that?" Natsuo asks with genuine concern. "You don't have to if you don't want to. Fuyumi can sweet-talk him into getting someone else do that shit. Maybe Hawks, or the mayor, or…"

"I can handle it," Shouto tells him evenly. The award of number one is all that old man ever wanted. Even destroyed his family in the process. To have his so-called failure of a masterpiece give it to him must be the ultimate honor-a messy tragedy in many burned out, stitched up parts.

He stares at Natsuo- _I won't have a panic attack,_ he tells him with stubborn mismatched eyes.

"Okay." He wishes that Natsuo would stop looking at him like that, though. Snow-white hair, onyx eyes, cold hand on his shoulder and a warm gaze. He knows that his brother loves him and that he's working hard to keep it together for him, but…

He looks too much like Mom, sometimes.

Next to him, he feels something warm hold on to his hand tighter.

Ochako meets his gaze with warm chocolate-brown eyes. He's entirely forgotten, but he never lets go of her hand. She doesn't, either, not even when frost builds over their point of contact without his knowledge.

He wills the cool to go away-her warmth melts the ice easily.

"All right. You're awfully bold tonight, Shou-chan," Natsuo teases, looking at their hands with a little eyebrow wiggle.

In return, the dual-toned doctor gives him a little smirk. "I'm not the one flaunting his gay date in front of the biggest flaming homophobe in the planet."

This earns him a sharp elbow to the ribs. "Are you gonna fuckin' out me? Also, shut up. He's just my client for tonight. Client!"

Shouto smirks, and Ochako stifles a giggle as they make their way to their table.

* * *

Say what you will about the pomp and glamour of the annual Pro Heroes Gala. Ochako only has one honest thing to say about it.

 _This fucking sucks balls._

Sure, their table is unexpectedly filled with a lot of heavy-hitter celebrities. The Todorokis and the Iidas surround her on both sides, including some of Team Idaten's popular sidekicks. The number 2 hero Hawks is also there-apparently he's dating Fuyumi-nee. Thankfully Endeavor seems to be tolerating this well. Barely. Ochako's sure that he'd be disapproving of the brash and informal Hawks if he weren't ranked so high in the JP Charts.

Nevertheless, she isn't able to talk to many of the people she looked up to, because freakin' Endeavor's at the head of the table, making everyone feel adequately awkward.

The ceremonies are awfully long and awfully boring too. They have had to stand up and sit down repeatedly at various points to honor the mayor, the governor, the prime minister, and some foreign politicians whose unpronouncable names went over Ochako's head. All of them made their own speeches, lasting anywhere between 10 minutes to half an hour, droning about the progress of humanity against the rise of evil or whatever, with not-so-subtle points to further their partisan agendas.

Dinner is a supposedly glorious affair, but Ochako is too anxious to enjoy it. There are too many utensils surrounding each plate, and the plating is so high-class she isn't sure which is the garnish and which is the actual food. They don't taste that good, either. The only thing she enjoys for sure is the _kuzumochi_ they serve for dessert.

(Much to her surprise, she and Endeavor excitedly chant "Kuzumochi!" at the same time, leading to an awkward silence that extends over the table, broken only by Hawks' chortling.)

Next to her, Shouto looks more and more troubled with each step of the program. He doesn't say anything, nor does his face show it very much, but Ochako keeps reaching out to his right hand to find it covered in ice. She squeezes it every now and then for what it's worth, and he exhales quietly each time and nods to her with some clarity in his gaze.

 _Is he going to make it?_

She isn't able to do much but to quietly munch whatever's in front of her, and to drink whatever sweet thing they put in her glass. And they pour it in for her endlessly.

The noise around her drones on and on and fades, like the beating of a helicopter.

What has she been drinking? She shakes her head and notes how empty it feels.

She… she needs air. "Excuse me," she says softly to Shouto, and Iida Tenya who is seated on her other side. "I'm going out for some fresh air."

"I'll come with you," Shouto tells her. Endeavor clears his throat and glares at him.

"You aren't, Shouto," he tells him sternly. "We're set to go on stage after the prime minister's speech."

True enough, the Prime Minister is at the third minute of talking about the state of the nation.

"I'll be okay," she tells him gently. "I'll be back by the time you're on stage."

Shouto stares at her carefully, but only nods and says nothing. He sits back down, and Ochako bows to everyone else before forcing herself to walk steadily to the balconies.

Once the cold air hits her, Ochako expects the lightheadedness to go away, but it doesn't. Not immediately, at least. She holds on to the cold metal railings, taking one deep breath after another, trying to steady herself. A light breeze blows past her ears, masking the footfalls coming near her.

"Hey there, pretty lady."

 _Shit._

She closes her eyes and hopes that the familiar, cloying voice belongs to anyone else. She turns, and of course her hopes are for nothing. "Hey."

Shindo Yo is suddenly next to her, leaning against the railing, smiling that lazy smile. "I thought it was you out in the red carpet, Ochako-chan. I'd recognize you anywhere."

She tries to give him a polite smile, but it might have come out as a grimace. "I'm surprised that you did, Shindo-senpai. I look way different from high school."

Back in the day, when she was a Ketsubutsu Academy general studies student, she was shorter and more innocent looking. Her face much rounder than it is now, her heart a little too soft and easily swayed. And she was certainly more of a dumbass then. The man in front of her may be proof of that.

He gives her a hurt look. "Senpai? Why so formal? What happened to Yocchan?"

She rolls her eyes. "You know I can't call you that anymore, _senpai._ If you want, I can call you Seismic, like everyone does now."

"Okay. I guess Shindo is fine. Although I miss you calling me Yocchan. It's cute." He rests one hand against his smooth face. Yep, he's still good looking, and Ochako hates that he is. "I never thought I'd run into you in one of these boring affairs. And next to a Todoroki, no less. I'm impressed."

Ochako tries her best not to scowl. "Well… I should have expected to run into you, Shindo-san. Congratulations on your new agency."

"Thanks, Chako-chan."

"Don't call me that. Please." She puts one hand over her mouth. Fuck, she _really_ doesn't feel well-what the hell did she eat back there?

"Hey, you okay?" Shindo's amused stare falters for a bit when he sees her struggle. "You're looking a little green there, Chako-"

"I said don't call me that," she snaps. Okay. Deep breaths, deep breaths. She needs to be okay, she needs to be steady and good. Endeavor's watching her, Shouto _needs her-_

"I think I see the problem." Shindo is suddenly in her space, pushing the hair further back in her ear. She's too weak to swat his hand away.

To her surprise though, his hand doesn't linger there for too long. He holds a piece of plaster in between his fingers-the antivertigo patch, Ochako realizes-and stares at her in amusement. "I bet you've been drinking with this on. _Someone_ should have been watching out for you, seriously…"

Oh. _Crap._ She forgot about that. And she's been drinking all those wines mindlessly, waiting for the stupid ceremonies to end.

She hits her forehead with one hand, hoping for some clarity. Shit. Shouto's counting on her, and she messed up. But maybe all the drugs won't make a mess of her brain for too long. "I should be going back, Shin-"

Her ankles suddenly feel like jelly, and it's suddenly impossible to stand in her five-inch stilettos. She feels her body fall limp, the tiles of the balcony zooming closer and closer to her face, before everything stops and she feels hands around her.

"Okay, Chako. I gotcha. Don't worry." Shindo's voice is close, terrifyingly so. It feels wrong in her ear, and again she tries to raise her arm, keep herself at a safe distance, tries to stand on her own, but everything's starting to spin and flicker.

"You know what, I should take you home and take care of you. This thing's boring as hell, anyways," he continues. She feels him start to lift her off the floor, and she's limp and helpless like a ragdoll. "Trust me, okay, Chako? I got you."

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Ochako struggles to recognize the new voice. Next to her, Shindo stops, but doesn't let her go. "I'm taking her home. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"You don't need to do that." She knows that voice very well, she realizes, but for the life of her she can't see him very well, nor does she have the strength to call out his name. "She's with me. I can take care of her."

"You have things to do, Dr. Todoroki," Shindo sneers. Ochako knows that smirk is on his face as he speaks. "See? Endeavor, the number one pro, is looking at you. You don't need to-"

Ochako's vision is suddenly overwhelmed by red and white. When she blinks, she's looking straight into onyx and icy blue.

"Ochako." His voice is quiet and calming, like ocean waves on a cool morning. "I'm here."

She nods weakly. "Shouto… take me home," she manages to slur out, her hand reaching for his face, for the odd coloration on his face. She misses entirely, somehow, but her hand is caught in his, enveloping it in soothing warmth.

"Okay." Soon, she feels herself being lifted again, but a cool hand and a warm hand wrap around her, and she knows she's safe.

"Todoroki, you can't just drag her home like that-"

Shouto says nothing, but Ochako feels him pause. There might be trouble when it comes to getting home, but she trusts him, he'll think of something. He's smart, unlike her. Dumb. Drunk and drugged and dumb.

"Todoroki-san." An entirely new voice enters the fray. "I saw you with a troubled expression, and…"

Ochako trains her bleary eyes to the voice. She sees snow-white and ebony black and glowing, glassy skin, and she knows instantly who it is.

"Yui-chan? What are you doing here?" Shindo asks incredulously.

"Uraraka-san seems unwell," Yui states matter-of-factly. She hears heels gently clacking closer to her, and a gentle hand touch her cheek.

"She is," Shouto replies with the same tone. Ochako feels a deep sense of shame and buries her face against his chest. Please, everyone, stop staring. "I need to get her home soon."

"Okay," Yui's calm voice floats over the air, like a feather from the holy ghost floating on a cloud. "I'll help you. Follow me."

Soon, the cool air around them disappears, and Ochako only hears muffled voices around her. She feels two figures hold her up steadily and through what feels like labyrinths, in what seems like forever.

Finally, Ochako hears the sound of traffic around them. A car door opens and closes, and somehow she's inside and leaning against the cool glass of a car window.

The beautiful voice resonates within the blessed quiet confines of the car. "Tell Fukidashi-kun wherever you two need to go. Don't worry, Endeavor didn't follow us here."

The car bounces slightly when someone falls in next to her. "Thanks, Kodai. I owe you."

"Don't mention it, Todoroki-san. Goodbye."

The car door closes, and Ochako feels them lurching forward. The last thing she feels is a warm hand stroking her back before she falls into blackness.

* * *

 **AN:** The lesson here is, Don't drink alcohol when you're on antivertigo meds~

I hope this chapter isn't too long but I needed to establish lotsa things here for the drama to progress~! Please let me know what you think!


	5. 4: Even Though It Isn't Real

**Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea  
** Chapter 4: Even Though It Isn't Real

* * *

The car ride home is sullen and quiet. Kodai's associate Fukidashi, a fellow with a speech balloon for a head, only speaks up briefly to ask them where they want to go.

As embarrassing is it to admit, Shouto has no idea where his secret fake girlfriend lives. He pauses for a full second to weigh his options.

He knows that to bring Ochako to his own home might be too forward. He really didn't expect to have her spend the night at his place. Not that it's… unwelcome. There's more than enough room in his apartment, and he has medicines, water, a little bucket she can throw up in, anything else she might need to recover. There's an extra futon in his room-Ochako can sleep in the nicer one, he decides-and if there's any trouble, he can send an SOS to Yaoyorozu, who lives a couple of floors above.

Besides, to ask any of her friends where she lived at this point would be too suspicious. He isn't prepared to answer any questions about what happened to the gala, either. In fact he quite dreads it.

In the end, he decides to give the address to his own apartment near the hospital.

"Okay," Fukidashi says brightly, the _?_ on his face turning into a ( ´ω｀ )ゞ. Without further ado, the car starts moving forward. "It shouldn't take us too long. Do you need to make any stops?"

Ochako is breathing quietly beside him. She's stopped making gagging noises by this time, much to his relief. "No thank you. Just take us straight home."

The kaomoji disappears, and is replaced by silent blinking ellipses that mind their own business.

The neon lights pass by the windows as they speed past progressively emptying streets. Within the quiet confines of the car, Shouto hears his phone vibrating incessantly from his jacket pocket. He knows that it's probably Endeavor or his management lackeys. Just as likely that it could be Fuyumi or Natsu or even Iida, to whom he said nothing about his sudden departure.

No doubt a ruckus has happened at their table already. He hopes that Endeavor at least doesn't literally burst into flame when he realizes that someone else has to give his stupid medal of honor to him.

He ignores the phone. It continues to vibrate, sending tremors to his side, making his jacket pocket visibly tremble.

It reminds him of something… _someone_ potentially bothersome.

He feels his hand move slightly when Ochako stirs beside him and makes an odd sound. "... we home?" she slurs.

"Not yet," he answers quietly. He touches her, strokes his left hand up to the part of her back exposed by the dress. She sighs in contentment.

There's a moment of silence spent by her struggling to keep herself steady against the mild lurching of the car, and of Shouto watching her as if she's a geyser about to explode.

"Shindo," she slurs after an eerie silence, in a manner that's neither a question nor a statement.

He stares at her. "Shindo," he repeats just as vaguely.

She hums and keeps her eyes closed. She wouldn't see the downright confused, practically interrogatory gaze in his eyes, and she wouldn't know to answer the voiceless questions running through his mind, beginning with _who is he_ and ending with _why were you in his arms and why did he look at me like I stole you from him?_

Still, he knows better than to be too invasive with his questioning while she's unwell. (He can save that for later. If the morning isn't too awkward. Maybe.) He isn't ready to hear the answers at this point, either. So.

Carefully, he decides on a blank, "He isn't here." He moves his hand down her back again, with the slightest of struggles to keep the warmth underneath his palm from burning.

"Okay," she sighs. She leans back, finally, regains some control on her labyrinths to turn her head and to look at him with dazed, half-lidded eyes. "It's just Shouto… good."

He nods, but… is it really good that it's just Shouto, Ochako? The entire night, she's been there for him, being a good and convincing companion, unquestioningly going where he goes. Facing Endeavor and the rest of his family, and the rest of Japan without so much as a complaint. Holding his hand when it threatens to freeze over, at least five times, when Endeavor's flames got a little too much.

And for all his mental talk to watch out for her, to keep her from being hurt, he goes and does the opposite. He's the one who placed the stupid patch and then promptly forgot about it. Ochako was right next to him when she drank all those wines, and he did nothing to stop it. And he wasn't there when she almost dropped on the balcony-as much as he hates to admit it, things would have been worse if Shindo wasn't there to catch her.

He doesn't take his eyes off of her when her eyes flutter closed and her hand lazily seeks his. Four soft fingerpads land over the back of his hand and rest there.

"Thank you for saving me," she mumbles quietly.

She's facing him when she nods off. A halo made of disheveled chocolate-brown hair and the passage of blurry neon lights surrounds a round face, the pink circles on them finally glowing a calm and rosy light, different from the distressed pallour from before.

 _I'm sorry_ , he thinks in an odd despondence. _You deserve someone better than me._

* * *

They reach the condominium in twenty minutes. Fukidashi helps Shouto lift Ochako out of the car, and once she's in a safe princess carry in his arms, the doctor turns to the speech bubble and thanks him with a sincere nod of the head.

"It's fine, Todoroki-kun," Fukidashi says, his face going (*´∀`*). "Yui-chan doesn't ask for favors unless it's super important. Besides, I was a fan of yours when you were younger, ya know? Made me wish I tried out for UA Heroics too."

Shouto nods quietly. He usually thinks that people declaring to be his fans during his short stint as a pro are all bullshit, but this guy seems to be sincere enough.

The speech bubble goes 【・_・?】. "Are you sure you don't need help going upstairs?"

"I got her. We're good," Shouto insists. "Please give Kodai our regards, Fukidashi."

"Okay, if you're sure. Take care." With a (〃⌒▽⌒〃)ゝ , he turns and drives off into the night.

Ochako isn't too heavy, but she isn't light, either. When Shouto carries her through the lobby and up to the elevator, he takes note of the bulk of muscle underneath the curves of her arms, her back, her thighs that strain under the shimmery material of her gown. He reckons that they're the product of hard work in the gym, and based on the thickened skin of her knuckles, probably martial arts too.

He wonders how strong she is. Shouto doesn't train as hard as he has before, but he does work out. If they were to spar in earnest, would she win? Would she be able to make him submit? Would she use those fists and arms and thighs to punch him, kick him, throw him on the ground? Would she pin him to the ground with a victorious little glow on her pink cheeks, murmur an _I win, Shouto-kun~_ into his ear, and-

He feels both cheeks flare. He keeps his left ear from bursting into flame on time, before he triggers any fire alarms.

This ride is taking forever, he decides. Ochako continues to sleep in his arms.

This elevator continues to crawl up at a snail's pace.

Once it opens, Shouto rushes to his unit at the end of the hall. He struggles with keys and the doorknob, not sure to be thankful or worried that she isn't stirring at all as he does so.

Finally inside, he kicks off his shoes and ambles into his sparsely-decorated unit. He carefully places her on the tatami, carefully taking off the ridiculously high and sparkly heels off her tiny feet, and places as much of her body that fits under his suit jacket.

She sighs and snuggles gratefully underneath, curling up into a ball like a cat.

A small smile forms on his lips upon the sight.

Next, he busies himself in his bedroom-takes out both futons, rolls them out. First, side-by-side... but that might be too close, they aren't newlyweds. He increases the distance between them, so they're at opposing ends of his room. But that's too far if Ochako ends up in a situation where he needs his help, so he puts them a little closer. And closer again, because it looks awkward and uneven.

Hm. This isn't really working.

He decides to stop thinking too hard about it and continues to gather other things: a basin for throwing up, drinking water, an electrolyte drink, antiemetics and something for headaches if she needs it.

When he's finally ready, he fluffs the pillows one last time before he heads out to gather Ochako.

She's still mostly under his jacket, but her legs are messily sprawled underneath her. Her knees are bent so that her dress is bunched to the side. Both legs escape from the tense juncture of the thigh-high slit from one side.

He gets another peek of the astronaut decorating her thigh, and it stares back at him as if to say, _hey, it's been a while, Shouto-kun. ;)_

His breath is thick when it escapes from his mouth. _Get a hold of yourself, Shouto._

So he does, and bends over to carry the pink heap. He hears a worrisome tearing noise when he tries to move her. When he looks down, the cloth around her hips is noticeably less tense and more exposed. He wonders then if this is what one expects of a JPY 150,000 dress, or if Utsushimi has just been ripped off.

Well… should the need arises again, he supposes he can buy Ochako another dress. A better one.

Still, the dress is tight around her abdomen, and it can't be comfortable breathing in it for too long. Plus she's a little too exposed like this. And she seems to be shy when it comes to her body, at least around Shouto. Their memorable accidental meeting at Illusion Inks that one time proved that.

When he successfully lets her down on his futon, he supposes it's prudent to try to wake her, even for a little bit, for this clothing issue. "Ochako," he attempts gently, one cold hand against her impossibly soft cheek.

She mumbles something under her breath. Her eyes open to look up at him sleepily. "Hey."

"I think we need to get you out of that dress," he murmurs softly. "I'll let you borrow my clothes. Can you stand?"

She sniffles. "No I can't," she whines pleadingly.

He blinks. Maybe… covering her exposed areas under a blanket will do for now. If she wakes up later, feeling a little better, then he can offer the change of clothes. He readies himself to stand, but Ochako starts mumbling again.

"Ya gotta help me outta my corset." The Kansai accent she usually keeps under control slips. "'S really tight, I ain't breathin' proper…"

He doesn't know what to say to that. But he has a solution: Yaoyorozu. Now seems to be a good a time as any to phone his most trustworthy female friend for help. With any luck, she's still awake and working on her reports. But when he reaches out to grab his phone, her hand reaches out hang on to his shirt.

"Now please… ain't… breathe…"

He asks gently, "Can you wait a little bit? I can get Yaoyorozu to help you."

She puffs her cheeks and shakes her head. Ochako's half lidded stare _begs._

 _Hm. Seems that I have to do this. Huh._ Shouto pauses, and inhales as quietly as he can.

The best approach would be to use his 'clinical eye.' Exposed bodies mean nothing to Shouto. It's practically an everyday occurrence. Just imagine that this is an emergency situation, and you need to undress a patient to treat her properly. No malice involved.

"... Okay."

He carefully pulls her hand off him. A little complaining sound escapes from her when he turns to grab a shirt and a pair of shorts from his drawers. When he sits next to her again, she clings to him for support until she's half-sitting, half-lying, fully-draped over his lap.

This will be difficult.

"S'ry Shouto," she slurs. She really is trying her best, he guesses from the way her face is scrunched up with each movement. "Z… zipper… back..."

Shouto makes a sound of affirmation and finds the zipper. With her lying over his lap, he pulls it down, exposing smooth, suntanned skin, sprinkled with discrete freckles. There's a single mole right at the center of the spine, right before the rest of her skin is hidden under the corset. Finding it feels like looking at a secret.

(He files its precise location away, for whatever future purpose it may serve.)

The dress is tighter than it seems, and when he pulls it downward so that she's only in her undergarments, she exhales in relief. She mumbles _corset_ next, and methodically he unhooks the stiff, bony garment, watching her flesh give with each merciful release.

"... hurry up n' take it off…"

He might have taken a little longer to control the temperatures of his hands.

"Mhm, Shouto," moans Ochako, as each hook steadily comes undone. "That's good… feels better…"

Not just his hands at this point. The 'clinical eye' is failing spectacularly.

" _Urp,_ " she says, one hand covering her mouth. "Almost threw up there…"

That helps, Ochako. Thanks. Shouto regains some level-headedness and continues his task. There must be like a hundred hooks on this thing…

When he's finally done, he pulls the troublesome garment from under her and throws it wherever.

The true shape of her curves are now fully exposed to him. She's mostly soft and round everywhere-enticing slopes, mounds of flesh where they ought to be. Shouto thinks that her body is objectively attractive in all ways, except perhaps for the stripe of pressure the corset made on the skin of her abdomen.

"That's a lot better," she sighs, rolling over from his lap to the futon. "Mochi futon~ goodnight~"

He chuckles when she burrows under the thick comforters like a mole. "You aren't dressed yet."

"'S fine… naked sleeping is okay," she says in a delirious haze.

It isn't okay though, not with how chilly the nights are lately. Shouto pulls her off, ignoring her whines of protest. He doesn't know how he manages it, but he eventually assists her into his old UA shirt and running shorts. The clothes fit ridiculously on her-one side of the shirt slips over her shoulder and the entire thing ends in the middle of her thighs, while his shorts look oddly both loose and tight over her curves.

Well, at least she's fully clothed now. He lets her settle down while he works on pulling out all the pins from the elaborately disheveled bun at the back of her head. There must be half a hundred hidden in it-Utsushimi's giving him a hard time again, he thinks in annoyance-hiding in hairspray-stiffened strands, prodding her scalp.

When he's finally done, he takes a second to admire his handiwork. She's snoring by this time, sighing gratefully when he runs his hand through her strands, rearranges them to a less tangled mess over his pillows. Her makeup stains the white pillowcase with lines of pink lipstick and dark mascara and glitter.

The moon glows from the window. Underneath its light, pink cheeks glow serenely.

 _She's… really beautiful_ , Shouto concludes quite honestly to himself with another smile. He seems to be doing that a lot these days.

When he's sure that her sleep is peaceful, he leaves to change and wash up. The sounds of his footfalls, the splash of water, the movement of fabric against him that echoes throughout his wide, normally empty home is surreal, when he comes back to see that someone else is here, warm and breathing and safe in his space. Who knew that that is a possibility in this world?

He isn't able to sleep as quickly as she does. Not that nights are always easy for Shouto, but still. His chest feels too weird, too full. His mind runs with thoughts that are too brief and quick for him to process. He's excited. Worried. Scared. Warm and cold.

When he's finally able to, it's when he turns in his futon to face her in his sleep.

* * *

Ochako doesn't remember seeing things in her dream very much, but she's walking in the dark. She isn't sure if she's floating in zero gravity, or if she's moving in the gelatinous air of the dream world, but she moves slowly, grasping walls. The ground, if it's there at all, feels like mochi. It's very cold, and she's looking for warmth.

At the end of it, she finds it. She doesn't know what _it_ is, but it's so warm, and her heart feels peaceful next to it. So she clings onto it, like a lifeline. The ground beneath her is soft, then transforms into water, then air.

She sleeps peacefully.

 _-flashback, warm nights, almost left behind-_

Soft and hazy, from a million miles away, a voice hums in her ear like the wings of a fly. She ignores it. The words drift in and out of consciousness, dragging her with her to a blinding light.

 _-lost you can look and you will find me-_

They're becoming bothersome at this point. She groans, mouth opening in complaint, eyes squinting from the blinding sunlight, hand crumpling warm fabric, cheeks pressing against a sturdy warm chest, quietly rising and falling-

Wait.

She wills her ears to work. There's birds chirping outside. Single cars passing through the streets, but they're distant, as if they're way, way above them. The song is still playing nearby, but more importantly, there's someone breathing quietly near her…

Beside her.

Under her hand.

 _What the f-_

Her eyes flutter open in horror and plain confusion. It takes her a solid minute to make sure she isn't asleep. And then another to figure what, exactly, is going on in this world. She probably needs another minute to piece the scenario together into a cohesive, sensible situation, but for now, her sleep-addled brain is able to process that:

She's in a room that she hasn't been in before.

She's floating up the ceiling of the said room.

Todoroki Shouto is fast asleep next to her.

She's… cuddling Todoroki Shouto in a strange room for one reason or another and she successfully floated them up the ceiling in her sleep.

And Cyndi Lauper's _Time After Time_ is playing in the background.

Forget a minute. She needs a good hour to figure out what's going on. A weird noise escapes from her throat, causing Shouto to stir.

It doesn't take long before his eyes are completely open. Ochako freezes when his slightly hazy heterochromatic eyes fall on her, trapping her in place.

"Hey," he murmurs, voice (dangerously) husky with sleep.

"Hey," she weakly offers back. Because it's early and weird and she doesn't have a good working vocabulary yet.

Shouto looks down on the floor and quietly points out, "We're… floating."

"Yup," she agrees in embarrassment.

He hums in mild interest.

"This… happens sometimes, when I fall asleep without my gloves on," she tells him weakly. She supposes that it's a good thing the windows are closed when they slept. Still, she feels her cheeks sting with embarrassed heat. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he tells her. His voice isn't coming back from this really sexy early morning lowtone yet, and it isn't helping Ochako's mind reorganize. "Can you get us down?"

Oh. Right. "Um… The landing might be rough. We have to be careful-"

"Okay," he says. He moves close to her and without warning, holds her in his arms and flips them so that he's below her, and she's pressed to the ceiling, just ready to die. "Go."

She nods and shuts her eyes, pressing all ten fingertips together. Well, if this were a dream, the impact would wake her up, at least. "Release!"

Without further ado, they drop. Shouto lands with his back on a futon, and Ochako lands with him underneath her.

She hears the wind knocked out of their lungs in unison. They take a minute to regain their bearings. She feels the air from his mouth tickle the skin of her when he takes a deep breath.

"... that's an interesting way to wake up," he tells her, voice strangely amused.

She squeaks. Another second, and she realizes that she's _still_ cuddling him, and she scrambles to sit up with more weird non-word noises escaping her mouth.

"Don't worry about it," he answers her baby-like babbling. "I should have thought of that when I put you to bed last night. I'm sorry."

"P-put me t-to-" she stammers, face getting hotter by the second.

He nods. "I have a lot of other things to apologize to you for," he tells her quietly as he reaches for his phone. Ochako realizes that this is where the music is coming from when it stops with the press of a button. Shouto looks thoughtfully at the screen before continuing, "... but now, there's a video call that I have to take."

"Oh."

He gives her a serious, apologetic look. "I'll move to the living room to take this. Can you wait here? Promise, we'll talk after."

She gives a weak okay as he takes his phone and the Macbook from his desk, and moves to the living room. In the stunned quiet that he leaves her, she hears the sounds of a mouse clicking, a muted ringing noise, and then a voice through speakers: "Shouto! Good morning!"

"Hey, Mom," comes Shouto's quiet reply.

Ochako decides to cut off her eavesdropping there, and to instead busy herself with figuring out what the _heck_ is going on here.

About last night: she sort of remembers drinking a lot and feeling sick afterward. She was with Shindo at one point, but for the life of her she couldn't remember what they talked about. Shouto was supposed to go up on stage, but she doesn't remember watching him do it, like she promised. She remembers a balcony, the tiled floors, and being carried through hallways.

Was she really that drunk? She dreads to look at her phone then-who knows who recorded what, who knows who she might have called or texted or whatever, and how many people might be asking her questions that she isn't prepared to answer.

She looks at herself in the mirror of Shouto's closet. She blushes furiously when she realizes that she's out of the tight clothing of last night, her clothes aren't _her clothes_ and her hair and face looks like she flew through a wind tunnel. Her face practically catches on fire when she realizes once second later that Shouto must have helped her out of those clothes and into these, and that these are _his clothes_ and she's surrounded in his essence and wow his shoulders are much broader than hers, she's practically _swimming_ in his shirt and it looks so nice-

She shakes her head. Now's not the time for daydreamin'. Now is the time to straighten your head.

The Gala is over, after all. Shouto might not need a reason to keep you around anymore. Realistically, after this phone call, he's going to say sorry for all the trouble he thinks he caused, and he's going to talk with you about breaking up.

Which is good and strategic and sensible-last night proves that she isn't a good girlfriend. Not even a good fake one. She can't trouble Shouto or the other Todorokis like that again.

Man. It feels like a sucker punch to the gut though. She's really good at making her insides feel like shit.

Hm. Still, there's a real pressure building up in her insides. She clutches her lower abdomen and realizes that all the liquids she ingested last night are still there, and she needs to use the restroom really soon.

Ear through the doorway, she peeks at Shouto, speaking quietly to a beautiful white-haired woman who looks very much like Fuyumi through the computer screen. The conversation doesn't look like it'll be over soon, much to her bladder's chagrin. She bites her lip and strategizes.

A door that looks like it could be the restroom is at the other end of the unit. She'd have to go behind Shouto, but if she does, his mom is definitely going to see her creeping behind like… like a creep.

She can do it though if she goes _around_ Shouto. So ignoring her complaining bladder as quietly as she can, she tiptoes behind, and around, and-

"... you don't know how proud I am of you, Shou-chan. Seeing you like this-hm?"

Shouto briefly looks at Ochako in surprise, before looking back to the screen. "Ah," he says.

Ochako freezes in place when she hears an excited, "Shou-chan, you didn't tell me-!"

And it's then that she notices the _fuckin' mirror_ behind Shouto's head… reflecting her in all her disheveled, loosely-clothed glory.

 _Why Doctorokiiiii how many fuckin' mirrors do you neeeeeed,_ she thinks in disdain.

"Yes," Shouto says, not missing a beat. "Sorry I didn't tell you, mom. She slept over last night. It was pretty late."

She can't see Mrs. Todoroki's face, but she practically hears the _beam_ on her face when she speaks again. "Oh, that's fine, that's fine, of course you need to take care of her-and you two are adults, so I certainly can't stop you from sleepovers and those things-"

Oh _god_ Mommyroki please stop, you're the last person who should think of adult sleepovers-

"-oh, silly me. Shouto, don't be rude, introduce us! I've been looking forward to this, Fuyumi's been _raving_ about her since last night!"

Ochako's bladder is completely numb and frozen when she goes and crouches next to Shouto, with the best smile she can manage.

Mrs. Todoroki is _so pretty._ Ochako feels like looking at the embodiment of freshly fallen snow in an idyllic forest on a quiet winter morning. Her snow-white hair falls over her shoulders, and her onyx black eyes glint with warmth in time with the huge smile she gives her. "Good morning, Ochako-chan! It's so good to finally meet you!"

Ochako feels like a scullery maid having a private audience with the Queen. "Good morning, Mrs. Todoroki. It's good to meet you too!"

"Please, call me Rei," she says quite giddily. "Oh, look at you two, you look so adorable together!"

"Thanks," Shouto says. Ochako could have _sworn_ that she sees him smile in the little outgoing image on the screen.

"So, Ochako, are you feeling any better now?" Rei asks, voice as warm as a fireplace. "Fuyumi and Natsu told me that you were feeling unwell last night. We were all worried about you."

"Oh, I'm feeling a lot better now! Shouto… kun really helped me out last night, so… please, don't worry about me!"

"That's a relief! I'm sure that Shou-chan did his best for you. Still, you have to take care of yourself, dear. Promise me that. Okay?"

She nods and blushes a deep crimson at _dear._ Except for Endeavor, it seems like the Todorokis are surprisingly quick to adopt her into the family. Whether it's because of her (fake) relation with Shouto, or whether it's from the so-called _roundface effect_ that the Kirishimas insist makes _anyone_ want to adopt her as their personal round baby.

"Good," Rei says, giving her another warm, unassuming smile. "So Ochako dear, I hope to see you this weekend in our estate-"

Wait, what?

Shouto clears his throat and tells her, "I haven't talked to her about it, Mom."

"Oh? Well now's the time to talk about it, isn't it?"

Ochako's smile freezes as she turns to Shouto with a questioning tilt of the head.

He looks at her carefully. "... it's just a small family gathering," he tells Ochako quietly. "Sunday morning. Our house outside the city. If you have other plans..."

Another party? With all the Todorokis? Is it just the nice Todorokis, or…

"Enji… told me that he's going to make it too," Rei adds quietly.

Well… fuck that then. Ochako tries not to make a face.

"Are you going to be okay with that?" asks Shouto, with a worried crease on his forehead. "You've been doing so well, Mom…"

Well, even if it were just the nice Todorokis, she really couldn't make it. It's a Sunday off, one of the rare ones, and she promised Ma and Pa that she's going to Mie-ken for a long overdue visit. She'd just have to politely tell them that she already has plans with her own family, and-

Rei nods. "My doctor thinks that it should be okay, as long as the rest of the family is there. Besides, it's about time we indulged Fuyumi, don't you think? To have the family together, with everyone important to us close by. She's been wishing for this for a long time now…"

The woman tries to cough subtly, but it racks her entire body. Shouto leans forward, obviously worried. "Mom, you okay?"

"Y… yes," she says, her voice breaking. "It's just the weather, Shouto. You know how weak my constitution is. I'm surprised I haven't keeled over and died yet," she adds with a laugh.

"Mom… that's not a good joke."

She laughs again. "I'm sorry. It's done in poor taste." She turns to Ochako again, with a kind smile. "Never mind all that, Ochako dear. I really hope you'll make it. We don't have this gatherings too often, and I'd like to see you before they bring me back to the hospice for the rest of the year."

… _darrrnnn it Mommyroki, you're making it_ impossible _to say nooooo!_

She gives herself a swift uppercut to the face mentally as she replies, with a smile, "Oh, I'll be there, Rei-san! I look forward to seeing you soon!"

Shouto's head snaps to look at her, a careful and shocked look in his eyes. She looks up at him, probably with the same careful and shocked expression he has.

Rei cries out in glee. "That's wonderful! I look forward to seeing you soon, too! Oh Shouto, this is _wonderful~"_

In an instant, the curious look is gone, and Shouto responds, "Yeah, it is Mom. We'll see you soon."

They exchange their goodbyes after, with Ochako bowing her head so much that she gets dizzy, and ends the call. Shouto pushes the laptop screen closed and again, looks at Ochako carefully.

"You… said yes," he says quietly.

She nods.

"... you didn't have to," he tells her, after another careful silence. "I wanted to talk to you about it properly after the phone call. You might have other things you need to do."

"It's fine, Shouto…" she says meekly. "I… didn't want your mom to feel bad. I mean…" _even though it isn't real,_ "she looked really excited to see you with… someone."

Shouto's gaze doesn't leave her. "Well, if you're sure. But if you just feel pressured to do this…"

Well she is. But she isn't going to let it show. Because it's going to be hard for Shouto too. And she really doesn't want him to face that alone. Who knows what'll happen if he's left to face that awful man alone again?

"We'll be okay, Shouto." She gives his hand a reassuring squeeze and gives him the best smile she can muster. "We'll do better. No more weird patches or wines this time, though!"

He hesitates, but gives her a nice, warm, _grateful_ smile. "Definitely. Thanks, Ochako."

In the next moment, she remembers her straining bladder, and without another word runs into the toilet.

She's just going to have to videocall her Pa later.

* * *

They leave the condominium. Shouto drives her to where she lives, which is a tiny apartment block two stations away from the hospital area. He drops her off there, with her still wearing his clothes, and offers to wait for her as she dresses up for work.

"You don't have to," she stammers. "We're already late as it is-"

He shrugs. "Exactly." When she complains again, he adds, "This feels like something I should do as a boyfriend. It's okay."

He says it so nonchalantly that it's annoying. The pink-faced Ochako decides then that the best thing to do is to shower, brush her teeth and dress up in the speed of light to not keep him waiting any longer. Besides, his Camry's already looking too odd in this part of the neighborhood.

When she's done, they speed off and make it to Hosu Gen. She feels people stare at them as they alight the car and walk together to the employees entrance. Some of them whisper and look at them like they're a scandal, not even bothering to hide their judgmental stares. Shouto doesn't look bothered at all, but maybe he hasn't noticed anything.

It annoys Ochako very much though. They're both dressed appropriately, but why does it feel like a walk of shame?

They sign in, one after the other as per usual, simultaneously and instantaneously shifting from whatever-they-were-pretending-to-be, to what-they-really-are, which is a doctor and a nurse.

"Ochako."

She snaps out out of a cloud of annoyance she doesn't realize she's slipped in. "Doc?"

He stares at her oddly. Maybe he noticed the sudden irritability in her aura. Or maybe he isn't used to her using 'Doc' again. Still, they have to be professional. "Maybe we can eat together for lunch if we're both free."

She nods curtly. "Let's see if we have time later, doc."

More whispers buzz in her ears like flies around the corpse. At this point she's sure that Shouto's just expertly ignoring them. Must be nice to be so stoic. "Okay. I'll see you later."

"Okay."

They go their separate ways, him to the residents' call room, and her to the OR. Senseless words around her- _wow look at her, she's so plain-what did she do to trick Doctoroki-I knew it was just photoshop from yesterday-_ all of which go in one ear and out another. She dresses in her scrubs, places her hair in a cap and wears a mask. Her motions practiced and natural. Her hands neither too hot nor too cold, like they always are.

Yeah… she can do this. Despite the bothersome gossip growing behind them, she can remain professional. She can work like nothing happened.

* * *

Still, the bliss of 'nothing happening' doesn't last very long. She has just assisted Drs. Shishida and Asui of General Surgery in doing a really extensive abdominal surgery and is in the process of carrying out all the orders with Mina when, predictably, the silence becomes too much to bear for the pinkette.

"Baby girl," she calls out, looking up from her monitoring sheet, "you've been awfully quiet there."

Ochako shakes her head and keeps her eyes on the chart. "No. Just hard to read Dr. Shishida's handwriting. I think I need to clarify some of these with him."

"Hmm, I get ya. He writes like a bear with a 500,000 yen fountain pen strapped to its paw." Still, she feels Mina's dark eyes on her, and she can feel the little pout she makes when she's ignored, even if she isn't looking. "That ain't it though, babe. Come on, is there something wrong?"

Again, the brunette shakes her head and keeps her eyes down. She can feel it in her bones that Mina's going to talk about the stuff that happened last night with Shouto-no, Doctoroki, while they're at work, come on-some mean gossip she heard on the way to work, or something someone said on the Internet while everyone is livetweeting the gala. Ochako hasn't opened any of her social media apps since last night, and she really isn't ready to, and Mina better not force her into anything so help her-

"Ochako," Mina repeats.

When Ochako looks up, the other nurse is staring right into her, stern and protective and _present._ The brunette startles at the sudden proximity, and when she moves to step back, Mina holds her, the acid underneath slightly stinging the skin of her arms.

"Has anyone been mean to you?"

Ochako, wide-eyed, shakes her head once more.

"You aren't bullshitting me?" she repeats. "Because no matter what you say, if anyone talks shit about you, you _know_ I'm kicking their basic bitch asses, right babe?"

"M-mina-chan! Calm down!"

"I'm just saying, okay? I got your back. And not just me. Kiri, Sero, and Ao-chan are here for you too." The pink woman makes a short sound of frustration and flexes her arm. "God, some people here can be so fucking _petty._ The same people who gave me and Kiri shit ages ago are having a field day… if he didn't hold me back this morning, I would have melted their asses off in the locker room-"

So she didn't imagine all the judgmental stares and buzzing noises around her this morning. Damn. The beginnings of a stress headache starts tingling in her forehead as Mina continues her impassioned rant.

"And that stupid nursing supervisor-who does he think he is, huh? Hun, let me know if he gives you a hard time, okay? I'll make sure he knows exactly how many rules you _aren't_ breaking."

"The… nursing supervisor?" Ochako asks weakly. "He… hasn't hinted at anything when I passed him by this morning…"

Mina huffs. "Well. Figures that shithead can't say anything to your lil round face."

"... yeah, I guess he wouldn't." Maybe he did say something behind her back. There were a lot of voices this morning, after all.

The pink woman sighs. Two pink hands reach over to hold round, pink cheeks, gives them a little squeeze. "Other than that, babe… don't listen to them. You are my very cute, very lovely, very smart round baby… and I'm proud of you."

Her hands are still stingy, but they're really warm and smells like lemons. Some weight from Ochako's heart lifts as she gives her friend a little smile. "Thanks, Mommy. I love you.

"Love ya too," Mina says with a wink, and then chortling when she sees the chart. "Whoa, what the fuck, Dr. Shishida? Beastly handwriting, that."

Ochako laughs, and gets back to deciphering the code.

* * *

The day ends up being very long, and very tiring. After the abdominal surgery, Tsuyu-chan comes back with an emergency appendectomy. Soon after, Honenuki and Dr. Deku of pediatric surgery come in with a child who needs emergency brain and abdomen surgery after getting in a quirk-related accident. The case was difficult, and they had to perform a code at one point. The child survived, but ends up being wheeled out to critical care, still on the brink of death.

After the procedures, Honenuki is sullen, and Deku is in tears. "W… we did all we could, didn't we, Honenuki-kun? Uraraka-san?"

"Yeah," the white-haired neurosurgeon offers, patting him on the back. "You did your best, Deku-kun."

"That's right. Everyone did," Ochako says, but not as kindly or strongly as Honenuki has. Sensing the misery in her tone, Honenuki also starts patting her on the back. Deku tries his best, but the tears won't stop falling.

Days in the hospital are rarely easy.

It's so that she leaves the OR way past her shift is over, making it to the cafeteria, half-filled with staff who turn to her, turn away conspiratorially, and start buzzing again. She wanted to pretend that they are talking about other things like the weather or maybe the rise in vigilante activity, or maybe eating shit-anything else, really, but it's hard when she hears snippets of their inane conversation:

 _I can't believe it-look at her, she's a mortal like the rest of us, who does she think she is? Todoroki and her? I'd rather he starts dating Yui, I'd feel better about myself if-_

Her heart is so, _so_ tired, still wrenched from the inside out from the case she's just gone through, and here the cruel words come, just sniping her, testing her…

 _Wait. Oh, Doctoroki-_

They were supposed to have lunch together, right? She fishes out her phone, ignores all the social media notifications and focuses on opening her LINE app.

 _Todoroki Shouto (1405H): Conducting a patient to Musutafu Children's Hospital. Won't make it to lunch._  
 _Todoroki Shouto (1406H): I'm on duty tonight so I can't take you home. Still, send me a message once you're on your way._  
 _Todoroki Shouto (1406H): Don't skip meals. Take care._

 _He's… surprisingly good at this boyfriend thing,_ Ochako thinks.

 _Me (1759H): Sry! just got out of the OR. We had a really tough case with Honenuki and Deku-kun.  
Me (1759H): gonna eat sth b4 goin home. Ill text u. _

_Todoroki Shouto (1800H): Okay. Eat well._

She covers her mouth when she feels her teeth start to show.

In the next moment though, perfectly timed to throw her off apparently, her phone buzzes again. It isn't a new text from Shouto-the notification comes from an unknown number, and staring at the jumble of numbers somehow gives her an overwhelming feeling of apprehension.

She stares at it for a couple of seconds. She doesn't know why she inhales deeply before she reads it, but when she does, her guts threaten to come out of her ass.

 _[Unknown Number] (1801H): Hey, Chako-chan ;) This is Shindo Yo.  
[Unknown Number] (1801H): U free rn? _

* * *

**AN:** Wah. This one was another struggle and a half but! I just finished the outline for this story so hopefully writing the next ones will go smoother~

I really enjoyed writing the first portions of this story though, especially with Manga! Isn't he cute? I'm excited to write more of him in one of the next installments to this series, which will be more 1-B focused!

Ahhhh I just feel really stressed for Ochako in this story! And Shouto too I guess. They're just really trying their best but people are just really terrible! So what will happen to the Todoroki Garden Party? Your guess is as good as mine.


	6. 5: As Long As You Are Around

**Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea**  
Chapter 5: As Long As You Are Around

* * *

 _[Unknown Number] (1801H): Hey, Chako-chan :) This is Shindo Yo.  
[Unknown Number] (1801H): U free rn?  
[Unknown Number] (1805H): if ur not free its ok tho! No pressure  
[Unknown Number] (1805H): _('∀'●)  
 _[Unknown Number] (1806H): im just here for company if ur alone. Cos somehow i think ur alone.  
Me (1808H): r u here?  
[Unknown Number] (1808H): where?  
Me (1808H): here  
Me (1808H): Hosu  
[Unknown Number] (1809H): hahaha  
[Unknown Number] (1809H): does that mean ur free then?  
Me (1809H): no  
Me (1810H): it means ur acting rly creepy n im making sure ur not stalking me  
[Unknown Number] (1811H): _ ⌒(＞。≪)  
 _[Unknown Number] (1811H): thats fair hehe  
[Unknown Number] (1812H): sry if i made u uncomfortable  
[Unknown Number] (1813H): i just wanted to make sure u were ok. Cos u weren't when we last talked _(|||❛︵❛.)  
 _Me (1814H): im ok  
[Unknown Number] (1815H): thats good. Todoroki-kun took care of things i guess :)  
Me (1816H): shindo-senpai.  
[Unknown Number] (1817H): yeah, chako?  
[Unknown Number] (1818H): sorry. I mean, Uraraka-san.  
Me (1818H): how did u get my number?  
[Unknown Number] (1819H): oh! That.  
[Unknown Number] (1819H): i met your colleague, Iida Tenya-kun, at the gala.  
[Unknown Number] (1820H): they were really worried about u, u know.  
[Unknown Number] (1820H): he gave ur number to me when i explained to them we were friends  
[Unknown Number] (1821H): i hope u don't mind, Uraraka. I…  
[Unknown Number] (1822H): felt really awful that i couldnt confirm you were home safe  
[Unknown Number] (1822H): i felt stupid. Unheroic, even.  
[Unknown Number] (1823H): but im glad you seem to be ok now :)  
Me (1826H): ok. You dont have to worry about me senpai  
[Unknown Number] (1826H): yeah i know but i cant help it  
[Unknown Number] (1827H): i kinda always worried about u, u know. even after everything  
Me (1835H): it s been 10 yrs senpai  
[Unknown Number] (1840H): yeah. It has.  
Me (1845H): i dont know what to say  
[Unknown Number] (1846H): haha its ok. My fault  
[Unknown Number] (1846H): i shoulda figured that talking to u like this after a long time will be weird _(o´д｀)o  
 _[Unknown Number] (1847H): still, i wanted to take a chance. Since im rly super worried haha  
Me (1900H): yeah  
Me (1901H): but rly you dont have 2 worry senpai. im good. Work is good.  
[Unknown Number] (1901H): thats good to hear :)  
[Unknown Number] (1902H): is your shift over?  
Me (1903H): yeah  
[Unknown Number] (1905H): ah but u must be tired  
Me (1906H): yeah. Lil bit  
[Unknown Number] (1907H): thats ok :)  
[Unknown Number] (1907H): i can wait another day to see u  
[Unknown Number] (1908H): i mean. If its ok with todoroki-kun  
[Unknown Number] (1908H): no pressure  
Me (1932H): noted  
[Unknown Number] (1940H): ah~ ur stone cold as ever uraraka-san ●︿●_ _  
Me (1941H): yep  
[Unknown Number] (1942H): _^_^'  
 _[Unknown Number] (1943H): well i gotta get ready for my graveyard shift n all_  
 _[Unknown Number] (1945H): i hope youre safe at home_  
 _[Unknown Number] (1946H): lets talk again soon_  
 _Me (2000H): ok._  
 _Me (2001H): work hard shindo-senpai_  
 _[Unknown Number] (2002H): doki~_  
 _[Unknown Number] (2002H): i was gonna take it easy patrolling but i guess i have to work harder now!_  
 _Me (2010H): idiot_  
 _[Unknown Number] (2015H): i deserve that lol_

 _Me (2215H): yep u did_  
 _Shindo Yo (2216H): ;) go to sleep already, uraraka-san. Ill keep the streets safe for u ^_^  
Shindo Yo (2217H): good night. _

* * *

The days pass quicker than expected. Ochako and Shouto maintain their fake relationship with a lot of effort. They try eating lunch together and succeed twice-they're a pretty quiet couple, and Shouto had to leave mid-meal one time because of an ER call, but at least a lot of people saw them. And even though people never run out of things to say, they at least think that the relationship is real and flourishing as… convincingly as it could, within the chaotic confines of the hospital.

They still exchange messages through LINE, although it tends to be irregular on both ends-while they're doing procedures, which is often, both phones are off. Outside of the OR, Ochako has a little more freedom than Shouto, who has other patients to tend to, lectures to attend, exams to study for. She isn't one to bother him with important stuff like that, so she tends not to bother him too much unless he texts first.

Like tonight for instance. Shouto texts her first at 1900H to confirm that she made it home after her shift and she didn't skip dinner. She tries not to reply super fast, but she can't help it. _Had pizza delivered,_ she types, erasing and retyping and re-erasing the emojis at the end of the sentence. _Hope u have time for dinner Shouto._

When he's able to reply though, it's two hours later. _Had bread. Emergency OR now w/ jeanist. Night_

Not a single text from him after that. Well, not like she's annoyed about it or anything. She knows how busy it can get, with all these quirk-related incidents popping left and right very recently.

Also, there's nothing real about this little, insignificant back-and-forth texting thing they have anyway. Truth be told, Ochako isn't sure why Shouto bothers-it's not like anyone scrutinizing the authenticity of their relationship would go as far as monitor their texts.

Or would they?

Still, if they would… might be nice if Shouto texted a little more… warmly. Right?

 _Ochako, don't be stupid,_ she grumbles to herself as she stuffs her cheeks full of pizza. _This is fake. Fake! You guys aren't even friends, what kind of lovey-dovey texts are you expecting in the first place?_

The phone remains silent, although the light blinks, telling her of the unread messages she's actively ignored for the past couple of hours.

She rubs her forehead and thinks that maybe it's time to sleep.

* * *

Before either of them realize it, it's already Sunday. The sun has just begun rising when Ochako rushes across the street from her apartment to where Shouto is patiently waiting for her.

He's leaning against his shiny black Camry, phone in one hand, a steaming paper cup in the other. Sunglasses over the top of his head, a simple white button-down underneath a blue cardigan, a pair of khaki slacks, and boat shoes. It's ridiculous how good he looks in such simple clothing at this ungodly hour of the day, but here he is, defying mortals' expectations as usual.

"Hey."

"Hey." He looks at her up and down.

"Um." She looks at herself, too. She has spent the few hours in between a tiring shift and the time she passed out on her couch to aggressively Google what people wore to garden parties. Not wanting to look too casual, but not too much like she's meeting the Queen of England or the Emperor of Japan, she decided on wearing her favorite floral dress in pink and yellow and white, paired with sandals. Her hair is down, and her makeup is light and modest, just enough to even out her skin tone and make the pink of her cheeks subdued enough.

Shouto stares at her for a good, solid second that is long enough for her to panic and regret not spending her savings on a Chanel suit or a brand new kimono or something, until he tells her quietly, "You look great."

"... really? I mean, I hope it's appropriate enough for your party and all… I've never been to anything like this," she stammers, as he gives her the tiniest of smiles that makes her heart stop.

"You would look nice in the garden," he tells her sincerely. He opens the door to the passenger seat and leads her in.

She settles in and tries to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. It's easier today than the night of the gala, because her clothes fit her well this time, and there's less gunk on her face. Plus, she's able to look him right in his handsome face now without dissociating from reality.

Still, the sheer proximity makes her struggle not to turn beet red. The smell of his cologne; the outline of his well-built arms as he shifts the gears and holds on the steering wheel; his profile against the background of the sunrise, all awaken her in a strange way and make her heart throb.

Despite the initial giddiness when their morning begins, they're thankfully silent during the drive.

"Breakfast?"

"It's okay. I had toast. Oh, but if you're hungry, I don't mind stopping for food-"

He hums. "I had tamagoyaki. I'm good too."

"Ah. That's… cool." Ochako taps her fingers against the door. "Did… you make it?"

He nods. She nods back.

At the stoplight, a corgi and his sleepy owner cross the pedestrian lane.

"I have tea, if you want tea," he tells her, after a moment of silence. He hands her a similar cup as before, and she takes it gratefully.

"Thanks." She sips carefully. By this time, the a/c has turned it lukewarm. "It's good! What is it?"

"Cherry blossom tea," he tells her, keeping his eyes to the road.

Ochako nods. It's unexpectedly girly. "I… like it. Very much."

"Hm."

After another stop, they enter the highway.

It's… an _awfully quiet_ morning drive. She tries her best not to fall asleep. Have they really been this quiet when they're together?

She peeks at Shouto carefully. He seems perfectly content in the silence, perfectly zen as he takes them through the quiet early morning of the city. He'd told her that the drive is three hours without traffic, and by the looks of it they're spending all that time this way, without even turning the radio on.

 _W… well… Ochako, this isn't so bad. At least you don't feel sick,_ she thinks, trying to ignore the little voice in her head that kinda insists on how _bored_ she is already. She keeps her eyes on her side of the road. Past the city exits, the hills start to roll and open into the countryside.

 _Oh, almost forgot-_ "Do you mind if I call my parents?"

"I don't mind."

She picks out her phone, stares at a message sent at 5 this morning- _have fun at the party, Uraraka-san_ (￣▽￣)ノ-pointedly _doesn't_ open it, with a glance to Shouto.

Shouto glances back at her wordlessly before returning his eyes to the road. She clears her throat for composure and dials Pa's number.

A couple of rings later, he answers the phone. "Hey! Mornin', sweetheart!"

"Mornin', Pa!" she says as brightly as she can. "I called, like I promised!"

Pa gives her a similar smile that warms the spirits. He's bright and brash like the rest of the world isn't still asleep. "Yeah, was worried that ya won't wake up early. Since ya sleep like an elephant on sleepin' pills!"

She rolls her eyes and gives Pa a few moments to guffaw. She hears Ma giggle lightly in the background too, amidst sizzles of something on a hot pan. Must be breakfast sausages, she sighs, feeling her stomach start to grumble. "That ain't funny, Pa! 'Sides, who ya think I got it from, huh? Ya sleep like a hippo shot by a hun'red tranquilizers!"

"Don't matter ta me since my time's flexible! I sleep however I want! I'm just worried that ya kept Todoroki-kun waitin' for a hun'red years wakin' yerself up, ya know?"

"I didn't!" she says, affronted. She glances at Shouto, who has one corner of his lip curled upwards in mild amusement. She flushes, minds her accent, and says, "If you must know, _daddy,_ we're already on our way to Shizuoka, _and_ we're making good time."

The sudden shift to her nice and proper accent doesn't escape her parents though, as another bout of wheezy laughter and variations of "lookit our li'l Tokyo girl!" bombard her ears. There's a scuffle at the other end, and after a bit, Ma's loud voice comes through the line. "Chako, darlin'! Is Todoroki-kun there next to ya?"

"Well, yeah. He's driving."

"That's good! Put him on! I'd love ta hear from him too! Ya know, since ya ain't gonna make it to your own loving parents today-"

She exhales slowly as another scuffle occurs at the other end of the line, with Pa arguing that they can't disturb Todoroki-kun while he's drivin', what if they gets in an accident and such, and Ma arguing back that Chako can press the lil button that makes the voice go out of the phone so they can talk proper. "Guys, can you just-"

"I know, Chako-chan, do the video thingy! You know so we can see the two o' y'all? And he ain't have ta keep his eyes off the road…"

Shouto pipes up from next to her, "I don't mind doing a video call with your parents."

 _God. He heard everything?_ Ochako thinks with a ridiculous smile on her face. _I ain't even on speakerphone as it is..._

"See? He don't mind!" Ma yells excitedly, causing Ochako to bring the phone 5 inches from her ear to preserve her eardrums. "Go on, put us on put us on put us on!"

"Okay okay! But please don't make him look at you, okay? He's really driving!" Ochako tries not to guffaw as she presses a few more buttons, until they're on videocall. When she sees her parents pushing each other within the rectangle of the screen, she beams. "You guys really need to calm down. Pa, your blood pressure!"

She remembers just how badly she missed them. "Yeah yeah yeah. So where is he?"

She giggles, switches the camera, and points it at Shouto. "Shouto-kun, say hi!"

"Hi," he says, glancing at the camera briefly. He has a small, but definite smile on his face as he does so, before he shifts his gaze on the empty road in front of them.

"Hi!" Ochako wants to hide her head from the ridiculous squealing in her phone. "Wow, Chako-chan, so he _is_ real," Pa says, once she shifts the camera back to her. "I thought you was makin' him up, or sum'n."

She puffs her cheeks at him. "Well, I never! I ain't-I mean, I'm _not_ just going to make up having a boyfriend to get out of visiting you guys! God!"

Well… half of that sentence is kind of a big fat lie. She realizes this only when she's spoken half of it out loud. Shouto looks at her meaningfully, but doesn't say anything.

"Keisuke! Don't be rude! Todoroki-kun's listenin' this time!" Ma shoves him off the screen and gives her daughter a suddenly-proper smile. "It's all right, dearie~ We understand completely! But on your next Sunday off, perhaps you can bring him to meet us next time? If his schedule permits, of course."

"W… well…"

"We'll definitely make time for that," Shouto says without missing a beat.

Ochako stares at him dumbly as her parents cheer their hearts out from the phone. Ma's proper city lady accent dies like a fish out of water. "Fantastic! Ochako, ya gotta file an entire weekend's leave for this, okay! Todoroki-kun, when you're here, you ain't got nothin' to worry 'bout, we'll take care o' ya-"

"That sounds great," he answers with a small smile.

"-oh, and maybe then we can get ta talkin' bout the future-oh, Ochako, is this it, are we finally gonna see little Ochasuke after all this waitin'-"

Ochako shrieks, "Oh no a tunnel! Bye Ma and Pa I'll text y'all later!" and hangs up the phone without waiting for them to spill another incriminating word.

She takes a deep breath and throws her phone inside her handbag, regains her bearings. When she glances at Shouto, he is also glancing at her, more amused than she'd ever seen him.

"... Ochasuke," he repeats, teasingly.

" _Ohmygod,_ " she moans, hiding her hands behind her face. "Please, Doctoroki-I mean, Shouto, forget about that~~~ it's just my parents trolling around, they don't mean _anything_ by it-"

Except they mean _a lot_ by it.

"I didn't understand what your parents meant though."

She puffs her cheeks in annoyance. Shouto is looking at her expectantly, though, just waiting for an explanation. She sighs. "It's… just… one of my projects back in high school… I named my project Ochasuke. That's it."

"What kind of project is it?"

She blushes a deep scarlet. "... a… robot baby."

To her absolute bafflement, Shouto starts to chortle in his seat. She should be offended, but it's so novel and unexpected that she just allows him to laugh at her, and even joins in.

"Yeah, it's stupid!" she says, in between uncontrollable giggles. "I don't know who made it, but we had to take care of it for a week like it's a real baby. Like, feeding it, changing its diapers, and so on." They were very well-made, Ochako remembers, with actual smells. "'Cept, I got so attached to it I might have cried for weeks after that. Ma and Pa, though… they've been hinting subtly that they want a _real_ Ochasuke soon."

Not-so-subtly, she means. They've been bugging her for grandchildren for some time now. Ma has been adamant about at least having her eggs frozen if she won't do it soon.

With one last soft chuckle, Shouto tells her, "Ochasuke sounds fitting for one of your future kids. Human or otherwise."

"Whatever!" Ochako humphs playfully, crossing her arms.

Silence returns inside the car, leaving her baffled at the fact that, whoa, she and Todoroki Shouto had a _real conversation_ about something that isn't related to their elaborate lie. How about that?

 _So it's possible after all!_ She thinks with some excitement. _I can't stop now._ "Um," she begins, trying not to seem _too_ excited about talking with him about normal things for once, "Have you ever given a thought about names? Um… baby names or whatever."

Wait. Aren't baby names too... couple-ish for them? Damn, maybe she should have talked about something lighter, like the state of vigilantism in society or whatever. She doesn't have time to double-think, though, because Shouto answers her almost immediately.

"I like the name Touya, myself."

She blinks. "Touya?"

"Written like lamp, and arrow." His voice quiet, a deep breath. "I... _had_ … an older brother by that name. I've always thought that it would be good to name one of my sons after him."

 _Had._ He seems to hesitate when he says it. Ochako trains her brown eyes on him carefully and waits for him to continue.

He doesn't continue. She takes a deep breath and asks, "If you don't mind my asking, Shouto… what happened to him?"

There's a heavy moment of silence. His eyes are on the road, steely and focused, wavering ever so slightly. In a careful tone, like a suture through a bleeding vessel, he speaks again. "He disappeared. Like a ghost. That's all they told me, when I was little."

There's more to the story than he tells, and obviously more than what he knows.

"You must miss him terribly, even though it's been so long," she says, after a beat of silence.

He nods. "Yeah. I do."

She nods. Silently, following an impulse, she holds onto his hand as it rests on the gearshift.

He doesn't push it away. "It's a good name," she tells him with a smile.

He hums. "Shouko is a good name too. If it's a girl."

"That's like our names-oh," She blushes violently in the next moment, causing Shouto to laugh. She slaps him in the arm playfully. "Y-you're doin' that on purpose!"

"I am," he says with a chuckle. "You're very easy to tease, Ochako. I can see why your parents like doing it to you a lot."

She puffs her cheek in offense. "Oh my god, you ain't ever allowed to meet 'em! Y'all are gonna spend the entire time teasin' me to death!"

He doesn't stop laughing, and that's when she realizes that her accent slipped out again. She squeals and hides her face behind her hands again. "Ah, dammit Shouto, I sound silly I know, I _haaaate~_ "

"For the record," he says at a stop light. He looks at her with those suddenly-bright heterochromatic eyes of his. Time probably stops. "I don't think you sound silly with your accent."

God. She hates the way she must have looked like a frickin' apple then.

"You're blushing again."

"... shut up, Cherry Blossoms."

He snorts at his new nickname, and they spend the next moments laughing like a coupla fools. When the car moves again, Ochako asks to switch on the radio, and Shouto tells her that it's okay, and she can use the AUX cord too, if she wants to.

The rest of the ride she spends speaking with Shouto about life, the universe, and the signs on the road. In between, Shouto taps his fingers rhythmically on the wheel as she sings along her playlist.

Contrary to her fears of three long hours of silence, time slips shockingly fast. Before she realizes it, they're already in front of a sprawling, traditional Japanese home.

The Todoroki ancestral home is unnecessarily big and very traditional. A number of servants bow their heads as they pass by, avoiding their gazes. Ochako is willing to wager that their paychecks are bigger than anything she has working as a mere nurse as she tries not to stumble over her steps.

When they make it to the garden, they see Fuyumi-nee speaking with a few important-looking people. Natsuo is next to her, watching everything. They turn simultaneously when the couple comes near. "Shou-chan! Ochako-chan! You made it!"

"Fuyumi-nee. Natsu-nii," Shouto says, receiving his sister's warm embrace and his brother's more enthusiastic one. Ochako's turn comes next, and they're as welcoming as before, if not more.

"Look at you," Fuyumi-nee says, beaming at her. "You look great, Ochako. Less green, which is good~"

She gives an embarrassed, yet graceful smile. "Yeah, I feel much better now. I'm sorry to make you worry."

Natsuo nods. "Yeah, you better believe you made us worry! If it turned out to be pregnancy barfs, I was ready to beat Shouto up for ya-"

"Nacchi!" The oldest punches him at the side, hard.

"Ow! Fuyumi, what the f-"

Ochako wants to sink in the grass. Shouto doesn't seem too embarrassed when he tells him, "Don't worry, it's not that. It's just really bad vertigo."

Natsuo grins. "That's good, because if it is, best believe you're gonna take responsibility for her, and as the favourite uncle, I better be- _OW,_ seriously, onee-chan-"

"Nacchi, go get them hors d'ouvres!" she hisses, before giving an apologetic smile to the flustered nurse. "I'm sorry, it wasn't too obvious during gala night because his boyfriend was there, but Nacchi's a big idiot. You have to forgive him."

"It's fine," Ochako stammers. "Is there anything I can do to help you guys out?"

She shakes her head. "I got this covered, dear, don't worry. Oh, but Shouto, can you please introduce her to everyone? They've been asking about her all morning..."

Shouto nods and takes Ochako's hand quite naturally in his own. With another quiet nod to her, they walk to where groups of people have gathered around tables, one by one.

He introduces her to uncles and aunts, cousins and nephews and nieces. She struggles with names, but Shouto mumbles to her that it's not that important to remember everyone. Ochako thinks, _duh,_ they'd break up eventually of course, it'd be a waste of space in her head to keep all the names. Maybe it's just enough to know the fiery redheads (Endeavor's side) apart from the snow-whites (Rei's side).

They all smile at her politely, albeit a little coldly. Especially the red-haired uncles, who also ask about her job and her quirk and look unimpressed when she stammers out that she's a nurse who's able to make things float. Gosh, it's obvious which side of the family the condescension runs…

Shouto, who is polite but probably as uncomfortable as she is, doesn't keep her there for too long. Quietly, he brings her inside the home, stopping at the modest screen door. He knocks twice.

"Come in," a familiar voice calls.

They enter a modest bedroom, where one of the most beautiful women that Ochako's ever seen is brushing snow-white hair in front of a mirror. A fragile frame clad in a light blue kimono that reminds her of glaciers, embroidered with icy fractals. When she turns around to look at them, she beams, her dark eyes glinting like gemstones. "Shoucchan," she breathes, arms wide open for an embrace.

Shouto takes her in the next moment. "Mom. It's good to see you again."

Ochako swears she sees actual, physical light glow over the two of them. A warmth that she's sure isn't coming from the quirk on his left side emanates. When they break apart, she sees how different Shouto's smile is from usual.

Todoroki Rei briefly gushes over how her son has grown the last time she's seen him before turning those onyx eyes to Ochako. "Oh my, Ochako-chan! Come here!"

Before she can say her _good morning,_ she's already in Rei's arms. She smells flowers in her hair, feels the cold in her fingers and breath. Ochako is a little stunned at the gesture at first, but paradoxically melts into her hug in mere seconds.

She separates from her and gives her a very big smile. "Thank you very much for taking care of Shouto. You have no idea how happy I am to see the two of you together!"

"I'm very happy to meet you too, Mrs. Todoroki-"

"I told you to call me Rei, didn't I?" she says, with a fake-stern look. "You're allowed to, dear, since you're the first one ever that Shouto brought home to meet me!"

 _Oh god we're terrible,_ Ochako thinks, sweating nervously.

"Well… I know how picky that boy is. You must be someone very special." Rei gives her a big smile.

 _Sorry Mommyroki your son and I are dirty dirty liars!_

"Oh, I can't wait to get to know you, Ochako-chan! Come, come, I have so much to show you-"

With a little _meep,_ Ochako allows herself to be dragged by the hand near the bed, where she makes her and Shouto sit next to her. Who knows how long Rei has been preparing for this, because she already has a stack of photo albums ready for perusal. "Shoucchan, you are not allowed to interrupt me, okay? I've been waiting for so long to show _someone_ your embarrassing baby photos!"

He grunts and wrinkles his nose. Ochako momentarily wonders if she was accidentally transported into a different dimension, where Todoroki Shouto is capable of making so many facial expressions.

With barely a pause, Rei launches into various stories about her children and herself. In between looking at ( _insanely adorable!_ ) photos of little Fuyumi, Natsuo, and Shouto, Rei asks Ochako questions of her family, her work and childhood and dreams and aspirations.

It's entirely different from the judgmental looks she received outside, definitely. Rei is warm, and kind, and motherly. She pats Shouto on the head a lot, and he lets her.

Still, in between the enthusiastic, almost non-stop flow of conversation, Ochako notices the lack of Touya in the conversation. She also notices the point in time where Shouto's face is unmarred, and then suddenly scarred, and the part where suddenly all of Rei's photos show her in hospice care.

She wants to ask what happened, and if the three events are related in any way. The published stuff about Endeavor and even the Hero Shouto way back when, says very little about the rest of the family. But to be honest, she's too fucking scared to do it.

When Rei makes it to Shouto's middle school graduation photo, Natsuo peeks through the doorway, guitar strapped to his back. "Hey, guys! Sorry to interrupt, but the family's gettin' bored and antsy outside."

None of them look like they're in a hurry though. "Endeavor should do the entertaining," Shouto deadpans.

Natsuo rolls his eyes. "The man of the hour is obviously not around yet." He brandishes the guitar, though, and looks at his younger brother in the eye with wiggling eyebrows. "So it's up to you and me, Shouto!"

Shouto huffs, even as Rei makes a small excited squeal. Ochako looks at all of them in confusion. "I don't want to."

"You're going to make Fuyumi cry," the older brother says like a threat. "Well, she's crying a little bit right now. You're gonna make it worse."

Ochako gasps, "No, don't make Fuyumi-nee cry…"

She doesn't mean to be teasing when she says it, promise! But Shouto gives her a tired look. She smirks in response.

Rei touches the younger boy's head once more. "Now now, Shoucchan, it is pretty rude of us to stay holed up here while we have visitors. Please, do this for your sister and I. And Ochako-chan too! I bet she hasn't seen you sing, right?"

 _Sing! Doctoroki sings?! W-what, how much more bishonen can he get?!_ She plays it cool when she replies, "Not at all, Rei-san!"

"Hn," Shouto mumbles. He is interestingly close to throwing a temper tantrum, even though he's being unnaturally quiet about it. Ochako is _vastly_ entertained.

"Good play, Mom. You _know_ he won't disappoint Ochako-chan." Natsuo grins. "We can play Mom's favorite song. Come on, quit being a baby."

At that, Shouto stands up, albeit very reluctantly. Dragging his feet somewhat, he follows Natsuo back out the garden. They meet Fuyumi, who is placating a few grumpy uncles and who instantly looks relieved upon seeing them.

"Everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting," Natsuo calls, instantly making the irritable murmurs around them dissipate. Two chairs have been prepared for them in front of the families, and the brothers each take a seat. "So, I know our celebrant, Mr. #1 Hero isn't here yet-"

Ochako doesn't miss the subtle vitriol when he says _Mr #1 Hero_ -looks like Fuyumi's the only one who _tolerates_ Endeavor at all in this family-

"So I figure Shou and I will provide entertainment for everyone while we wait. 'Cos I know throwing tomatoes at Shou's off-key singing is way more interesting than staring at my handsome mug all day."

That gets a good laugh among the white-haired side of the family, at least. Ochako goes _pfft,_ earning her an amused glance from Rei.

When everyone settles down, Natsuo nods at Shouto, who nods back. The older brother starts plucking out the first few notes of a song that causes Ochako to flash back briefly to that… _interesting_ morning she had, shit-faced and up on the ceiling of Shouto's bedroom.

Natsuo's notes are clean and go straight to the heart. Instantly, the garden is mesmerized just listening to him. She feels a real struggle to breathe as the music plays, which becomes exponentially harder when Shouto inhales and opens his mouth:

" _Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick and think of you..._ "

Shouto's voice is soft and gentle, like the trickle of a stream through a tranquil forest in a spring morning. His English is confident and has only the slightest accent to it, but the words he sings are quiet and sincere, like he's telling a secret.

Ochako just might drop dead on the spot.

Next to her, Rei begins to hum along, her notes also neat and calming. There's a perfectly content look on her face as she watches her sons make music together. Fuyumi, in turn, is alternating looking at her younger brothers, and then at Rei. All vestiges of stress melts from her face upon the sight.

" _If you're lost, you can look, and you will find me, time after time._  
If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting.  
Time after time. "

It's very sweet, Ochako thinks as she allows Shouto's voice to instill a sense of peace in her heart too. Rei holds onto her arm quite happily. The rest of the garden quiets down, and soon it's only the music, and the soft breeze through the trees flowing through their ears.

 _"Secrets stolen, from deep inside  
The drum beats out of time- _"

"What's all this?"

Flames and a tall frame emerge from behind them. The music stops so abruptly that it's _painful._

"Oh-Enji, my boy, you finally made it-"

Rei's grip on Ochako's arm tightens considerably.

Endeavor steps out into the garden, greeting the members of his family with curt smiles. He is in his hero costume, a tight creation in electric blue and orange, as blinding to the eyes as the flames on his face. His eyes go to where his immediate family members are, and his nose wrinkles- _actually wrinkles, wtf!_ -when he sees Ochako next to Rei.

He says nothing though, and they say nothing back for a few moments. Fuyumi is the only one with the presence of mind to stand up and to attempt to say something eventually. "Hi, Dad! Um, Natsuo and Shouto just wanted to entertain everyone while we were waiting for you to arrive, so…"

"I see." He does not look amused but nods to Natsuo and Shouto, ignoring their barely-masked glares. "Sorry for being late, everyone. I assisted some pros in apprehending a group of villains in the next town."

His side of the family cheers and congratulate him for a job well done. Ochako cannot pay them any mind though, not when Rei's hand on her arm is starting to feel a little colder.

Endeavor steps closer to them. His children stand in attention almost immediately as he does so. Maybe that's why he stops at a distance, and why his voice is careful and controlled when he calls out, "Hello, Rei."

She hears the older woman's breath catch in her throat.

Ochako puts four fingers tentatively over Rei's hand-a quiet little gesture that asks if she's okay. Rei nods quietly, with a small, anxious smile.

"Hello, Enji," she finally manages, with a nod.

Endeavor nods and turns. Ochako can practically feel the tension drop after, and she quietly exhales in relief. She catches Fuyumi give her a small, grateful nod, before following Endeavor as he thanks everyone else for coming to his party.

When the number one pro-hero is thoroughly occupied, Natsuo and Shouto immediately go to them. "Mom, you okay?" Natsuo whispers worriedly.

She nods. "I think so…"

Ochako doesn't miss the tremor in her voice. "Mrs. Todo-I mean, Rei-san," she tells her as gently as she can. The cold stings a little more when she strokes her hand again. "Maybe it's a good idea to take it easy for now? We can have tea inside, if you like-"

"Hm." She nods again, a little uneasily. Her eyes go from Endeavor's flaming silhouette, to his shadow on the grass.

"Okay, Ochako-chan has a great idea. We have cherry blossom tea somewhere inside… probably." Natsuo nods, takes Rei's arm from Ochako's. "It's okay, I got this-"

"Oh, but I want to help-"

She feels a warm touch on her bare arm-instantly, she's aware of the growing patch of numbness there. Flakes of ice fall from her skin and melt on the ground, as Shouto holds on to her.

"It's okay," he tells her quietly, before gesturing for Natsuo to take their mother inside the home. When she's gone, he proceeds to slowly rewarm her skin. "I'm… sorry about this, Ochako," he whispers. She senses the anxiety buried in the softness of his voice.

She's a little alarmed at how extensive Rei's ice has covered her without her noticing-her entire upper arm and deltoid and half of her forearm is covered in frost. Pain shoots up her livid nerves as sensation returns slowly. She tries not to flinch. "No, it's okay… I'm sure she didn't mean to do it."

Shouto shakes his head. "Still… you didn't come here expecting to be half-frozen. I knew letting them see each other again was a bad idea…"

Ochako looks down as the last bits of frost melt into water. He puts his warm side down and examines her skin and pulses, to check if everything is alright.

"My family is… very different from yours," he tells her quietly. He looks downright miserable when he lets her go.

 _That's true…_ Ochako remembers Ma and Pa and how bright and happy they were, practically falling over themselves to see Shouto. They've always been positive, always smiling brightly with the famous Uraraka cheeks despite their difficulties with money. Endeavor and Rei are polar opposites to her own parents, she thinks-more wealth and status beyond Ochako's dreams, but for some reason can't even stand within ten feet of each other...

 _What happened to this family_ , she wonders sadly for the umpteenth time.

 _But…_ "It should be okay as long as you guys are around," she tells him, with the brightest smile one can manage in this situation. "You and Fuyumi-nee and Nacchi make Rei-san really happy."

She means it earnestly too. The warmth and love she felt from Rei when she was listening to the song was real and overflowing.

"I… hope so," he says after a moment. "We've been working hard." He glances briefly at Fuyumi, who is nodding along to whatever Endeavor is saying from a distance.

She sees the uneasy twitch of his hand. "Listen, Shouto. I… don't mind if you watch over your mom for a bit."

Shouto stares at her. "I can't leave you alone here," he says quietly. He looks at the other members of the family, and she's sure that he doesn't want her at the mercy of any more unnecessary comments of her rank and unimpressive quirk. And of course, Endeavor.

But she shakes her head. "I can handle a few more mean commentaries," she says in what she hopes is a humorous voice. "Don't leave me alone for too long, though. I might just float some of your creepy uncles into space if you do."

She honestly wants to, to be honest, but it's a bad idea for either of them for her to be blacklisted from any Todoroki event early on. Shouto chuckles softly.

"Permission granted to do it, though." He gives her a small, grateful smile. "I'll be quick. I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

Ochako nods and watches Shouto disappear into the house. She turns to the rest of the party-most of them are milling around Endeavor as they force hero stories out of him, while the others are sitting in their own groups, eating and chatting in their own small families. The only person she's comfortable with there is Fuyumi-nee, but it doesn't look like Endeavor will allow her to leave him alone any time soon.

She immediately feels very alone.

A soft wind blows from her side, and she sees the sprawling gardens of the rest of the Todoroki estate that she hasn't seen yet.

 _I guess… a walk would be nice..._

* * *

The house is on top of a hill. Getting to the rest of the gardens means descending twenty stone steps, lined with small red and white flowers. Grass tickles the tips of her toes in her sandals as she follows the path into what looks like a clearing in an enchanted forest.

Ochako doesn't know much about flowers, except for stargazers and chrysanthemums which are among Ma's favourites. With her limited knowledge though, she's still thoroughly impressed with how well-maintained and colourful the gardens in the Todoroki ancestral home are.

She takes one photo after another, taking a mental note to ask Camie-chan or Kyoka-chan about them when she comes back to the shop for her next session. They ought to know a lot about flowers, since they draw them all the time… heck, maybe she can get something floral for her next tattoo.

She focuses on a bunch of pretty purple chrysanthemums along the path. Man, Ma would really like this, she thinks, as she takes care to get the camera settings right-

"You're doin' it wrong."

The voice comes from behind her, _really_ close. Ochako yelps and almost drops her phone on the soil.

The owner of the voice makes a scoffing sound. She stands up quickly, turns around, and is just barely able to fight a look of _horror_ on seeing the other's face. "E-excuse me?"

His entire look is shocking, in a word. Messy, pitch-black hair, striking ice-blue eyes, a lazy smirk. An interesting patchwork of smooth pale and irregularly pigmented skin, with piercings that look like staples under his eyes, cheeks, lip, the exposed skin of his chest. He wears a rumpled dark jacket over a sloppy white shirt and dark jeans. Obviously not fit for the occasion. When he steps closer to her, she smells fire and ashes, as if he spent the morning walking over hot coals.

Ochako's survival instinct, of course, immediately screams for her to run and call for help. But for some reason, she's frozen in place, with her hand holding her phone at a stupid angle that makes it easy for the stranger to pluck it out of her grasp.

He hums in mild interest as he taps through the camera settings. "Man, this model is ancient. Are you the type who hates new tech, or just really poor?"

The audacity makes her gasp and momentarily forget about her fight or flight response. "H-how rude! Don't just look down on people who like to save money!" she says, the pink of her cheeks glowing in offense.

He chuckles. "So the second one then. Thanks for clearing that up."

 _How dare he?!_ She puffs her cheeks, hands _twitching_ at her sides, itching to make his dumbass condescending jerk face float all the way to Pluto. Does he know how long she saved to upgrade from a flip phone to this one?!

He squats next to the chrysanthemums and clicks twice. He nods and tosses her the phone with an infuriating smirk. "Check it out."

She almost fuckin' drops the phone again and glares daggers at him. He gives her a smug little grin and looks like he has all the time in the world to wait until she looks at his handiwork though, so she rolls her eyes and does just that.

"What the f-," she sputters. The picture's _amazing._ The chrysanthemums are clear, the colors so crisp and bright that they look like they're glowing against the background. "How did you-"

He shrugs. "Just played with the settings. It isn't hard."

He looks at her like she's stupid for not being able to figure it out on her own. "Whatever. I never asked for your help, mister," she grumbles.

He shrugs again. He's good at that, she reckons, and at smirking just to irk. "What can I say? I like helpin' people, 'specially obvious hopeless cases. Like you."

"Y-you're unbelievable!" What the heck is up with this guy? Gosh! Forget Pluto, she's going to send his ass to the biggest black hole outside of the Milkyway.

He begins to laugh, though, and it makes Ochako pause. It's utterly crass and comes out as a throaty wheeze at some points, but something about it seems…

… familiar…

She raises an eyebrow. "Who are you anyway? Are you here for Endeavor's party?"

If he is another spotty family member, she has a good idea which side of the family this asshole belongs to.

He shakes his head though. "Do I look like I'd be the type to be invited to a fancy shindig like that?" He raises both arms, showing off his overall shabby look, and Ochako is inclined to agree.

That doesn't make her any more comfortable though. "So… what are you, a party crasher? Or a burglar, or a criminal, or something-"

He hums for some time, as if mulling over some excuse in his head, hands playfully swinging in the pockets of his raggedy jacket. "I guess you could say that I'm... _familiar_ with the Todorokis. Spent a lot of time with them before. Workin' myself to the bone 'til I got… burnt out, I guess?"

"Huh." She narrows her eyes at him. "That's really vague, mister. It's weird how you aren't denying that you're a criminal, ya know."

He does that weird laugh again and honestly, where the fuck has Ochako seen those eyes before? As unsettling as this guy is, the way his eyes crinkle and the upturn of his pierced mouth is so… genuine, so strangely familiar that she doesn't feel like this guy will stab him anytime soon.

Not today, at least. He gives her a wave of one hand and turns away. "You can think whatever you want, Space Cadet. You better get back to the party soon, though, before they think Endeavor intimidated you into skippin' town."

"Wha-"

"Wouldn't blame ya though. He's an asshole," is the last thing he says, before he disappears in the trees. Stunned, she steps over the chrysanthemums and into the trees, but he's entirely _gone._ Even the smell of ashes are gone, as if he wasn't-

"Ochako?"

She turns. Shouto is on the pathway, staring at her oddly. "What are you doing there?" he asks.

One more look at the trees-no staple weirdo in sight. "Um, I was speaking with someone, but…"

He raises his eyebrows. "Who?"

She shakes her head. She didn't get a name, an affiliation, a quirk, anything that can identify him except his odd appearance. But how to begin describing that? Was the patchwork thing involved with his quirk? "I dunno, he was just here with me just before you came here... He had black hair, piercings… he was wearing a lot of black too…"

"Hm." Shouto blinks once. "Did he look suspicious? Like he didn't belong here?"

 _Oh definitely_ is the answer to the first question. Definitely. But the second part? Ochako stares into Shouto's eyes and feels… odd. "I… wondered if he was one of your relatives, at first," she admits.

Shouto hums again. "That's weird. I don't know anyone who looks like that."

Ochako swallows. "A… stalker, maybe?" The guy didn't deny he was a criminal after all. And he seemed to dislike Endeavor, although a lot of people around her tended to have similar feelings towards the pro...

He furrows his brow. "That's not good. I think we need to talk to the security personnel, and to get you out of here soon. If that guy targeted you specifically, I don't think it's safe to linger here any longer."

"Oh, but the party-"

"The party's ending early since Endeavor has to answer a call regarding vigilante sightings nearby. Most of the family went home already." Shouto casts a look over his shoulder, sharp heterochromatic eyes scanning the woods and likely finding nothing.

"Okay…" Shouto is holding her hand again, a little more possessively than usual, if she dares herself to say so. "That… sounds like a good idea."

They do just that. They seek out security, and Ochako tells them what happened, describes the guy as best as she can, and even shows the nice photo he took of the chrysanthemums using her phone. The Todoroki family's security personnel insist that they didn't see anyone who appeared like that, either in person or through the cameras. They do say that they'll review everything thoroughly. They bow their heads to an embarrassed Ochako and apologize for their inadequacy.

"N-no, that's all right," she stammers, blushing. "I just think that everyone should be careful…"

Fuyumi sighs. "That's true… Oh, Ochako-chan, I'm sorry that you're troubled again…"

"Yeah," Natsuo says, shaking his head. "Stalkers are the worst. If it's Endeavor they're stalking though, can I just say that they have bad taste? Seriously-"

Fuyumi elbows him again, making him cry out in pain. Turning to Shouto, she says, "Make sure she gets home safe, Shoucchan. We'll take care of Mom for now. Nacchi and I can drive her back to the hospice."

Shouto nods, and with last good-bye hugs to the two elder Todoroki siblings, they go back to the car for the long drive home. Ochako feels bad not being able to say goodbye to Rei properly, but letting her know about the weird thing that happened might not be the best thing for her now.

Gosh, she's had the weirdest, worst luck lately.

* * *

"You good?"

"Yeah… I am," Ochako says. Her eyes are a little distracted when she gazes from her reflection in the passenger seat window to him. "Just… a little weirded out, maybe? But…"

Shouto thinks that Ochako's had the worst luck lately, and wonders if it's all his fault.

"I should have been there with you," he tells her honestly, as they exit the town and go back on the highway. "If I was there, then that guy wouldn't have approached you. I'm sorry for leaving you on your own."

He would have made sure to freeze and/or burn that guy to the ground.

"Oh, that's not it," she stammers, and then falls silent as she struggles with her words. "It's just that-" She taps her fingers together, worries over her lower lip.

"Yeah?" He gives her another odd look. She's obviously anxious, but not in the way one ought to be anxious when they meet a potential stalker.

"I… didn't feel like he was going to hurt me, or anything like that…?" No, it looks more like she's trying hard to remember. Trying to place something, identify something that's at the tip of her tongue. She leans back in her seat and furrows her short brows. "It's weird, I know. He was pretty annoying, but he… didn't give me those vibes."

Shouto makes a small, suspicious sound. "Maybe he's just good at masking those vibes. It's still prudent to be careful about this."

"Yeah… you're right." Her brows wrinkle one last time before it neutralizes, as if to concede the point, to ready herself into changing the subject. Interesting, how he's able to tell where her mind is going by just… staring at her face. "How's your mom doing, by the way? Did she feel better after having tea?"

"Yeah. Thanks for that, by the way. She was able to calm down, and it helped that Endeavor left earlier than expected."

He knew that the old man didn't need to respond to that call. It was just a vigilante sighting, after all. C-class heroes are allowed to manage those by themselves. Still, that guy at least had the decency to see what his presence was doing to his wife, and thankfully took the first chance he got to get out of there, as lame as it was.

"That's good." Ochako nods with a small smile. "About her and Endeavor…"

When he looks at her with what he thinks is a carefully neutral stare, she starts stammering nervously, "I m-mean… if it's just okay with you to talk about it, Doctoroki, I d-don't mean to impose-"

"It's fine. You can ask me about it." She has a right to be curious about them, Shouto thinks, given that his mother almost froze Ochako's arm off the moment Endeavor entered the picture.

"Okay," Ochako begins uneasily. Her cheeks glow anxiously as she ponders over her words. "Are they… not okay... with each other?"

She winces immediately after asking, as if just realizing how silly her question sounds. It doesn't offend Shouto though, even though it's the understatement of the century. "They aren't."

"Oh."

He takes a moment to decide whether it's fair to dump all of the terrible Todoroki family history to Ochako: of Endeavor's abuse, his mother's downward spiral. The things the old man did to him and her and Fuyumi and Natsuo, and even Touya-nii, even though he doesn't know enough about that. The day when he walked up to his mother crying in the kitchen, next to a pot of boiling water...

She's been seeing bits and pieces of the aftermath, after all. He's told her about being Endeavor's biggest disappointment. In their first real conversation he even blurts out Touya's disappearance. He remembers how nice it felt sharing something so intimate with her. How strange it is, that it felt nice. And how easy speaking with her is, despite their awkward start in the early morning.

He… wants her to know everything, strangely enough. He doesn't know why. He isn't sure if it's because he's stupid and he trusts her despite them not knowing that much about each other, or if he's merely using her as a tool for his own catharsis.

He doesn't want it to be the second reason, that's for sure. He needs to evaluate himself a little more.

So he decides on elaborating as such: "That's just how things tend to happen in arranged quirk marriages. The quirks may be compatible, but the people are not. Endeavor-"

-destroyed our lives, he wants to say, but stops himself. "-is an asshole who didn't care much about anything except being number one."

And since being number one after All Might's end, Shouto sees with a grim satisfaction how lost the old man is. Serves him right.

He exhales once, to control the tremor in his hands.

Ochako nods quietly. Surely she detects that he isn't telling her everything, but she's looking at him as if she understands that now is not the time. "I'm sorry that things happened like that."

"It's fine," he repeats. He keeps his eyes on the open road ahead of them.

Another heavy silence weighs down on them. Ochako seems like she's too uneasy to say anything more after that. He doesn't blame her. It's really hard keeping up a conversation with him, and it's entirely because he has no talent for it.

He should… try talking again, maybe. He doesn't like seeing her so uncomfortable, like she's being forced to stare at a block of cement for three hours. How do conversationally-talented people like Kirishima… start these things, anyhow?

If the chatty ER nurse were here right now, what would he say? He tries to imagine himself with tall hair and sharp teeth and forms the words in his head.

 _Don't be sad, my little round baby,_ he'd probably say, while pinching Ochako's cheeks. _I bet you just need some mochi to cheer you up!_

No, there's no way Shouto can say something so out-of-character like that. Although he badly wants to do the cheek-pinching part, it's… not proper, in this context. Ochako would probably float the car to Mars, like the Tesla-

 _ggRRROWL_

Shouto blinks. Ochako has a _horrified_ expression on her face as she clutches her stomach desperately.

"OhmygawdDoctoroki," she stammers, face pink and cheeks inflated. "I can explain, I-"

 _gggROWL_

Shouto can't help it. For the second time today, he bursts out into that rare fit of laughter that still feels foreign in his body. He hears Ochako whine next to him, "I, I wasn't able to eat anything earlier, okay?! It was too embarrassing, everyone else had their thing, and-"

Her stomach growls again, and she looks like she's about to burst into tears from embarrassment. He struggles to calm down enough to say, "I'm sorry, Ochako. I should have noticed that too."

Another growl comes out, but not from Ochako's side. She stares at him, eyes wide.

Come to think of it, he hasn't eaten anything yet, either.

She starts going _pfft_ again, as she is prone to do before giving in to a fit of guffaws. "Serves you right for laughin' at me, Shouto! The nerve o' ya! The utter nerve!"

He laughs along with her. "I deserve that," he tells her with a smile. "I guess we should make a stop somewhere for lunch. Do you have anything you want to eat right now?"

She gives him a positively _radiant_ look. "Oh, I'm not too picky. I can eat anything right now-ramen, udon, soba, oyakodon, curry, pasta, hamburgers-"

He huffs in amusement as she lists down all the types of food she knows in the world. She could probably give Yaoyorozu a run for her money, when it comes to eating.

"-so maybe you should pick where. I mean, this is your area. I promise, I can eat anything!"

And by the shine in her eyes, it looks like she's ready to eat a lot. Shouto thinks it's cute. "All right."

He takes an exit going into a neighbouring town. He only vaguely remembers something good to eat there, but heck. He's feeling pretty adventurous right now.

* * *

They eat their meal (zarusoba for him, and ramen and gyoza and strawberry mochi for her-she shares a little bit with him but finishes _everything_ and it's really nice to watch her eat, he thinks) and talk some more, the conversation suddenly as easy at it was in the morning.

He finds, to his relief, that it's actually very easy to talk to Ochako, and he didn't need to pretend to be Kirishima to keep the conversation going. She has a lot of stories, about work and her nurse friends and her hobby, which is Gunhead Martial Arts, the dojo of which she tries to visit thrice a week. She asks him about his hobbies, which he has difficulty answering at first. He eventually decides to tell her that he enjoys writing and that he started when he wrote letters to his Mother in high school.

She seems genuinely interested in everything he says and asks him a lot of questions, which is baffling to him. More baffling is the fact that it's the same for him.

The conversation flows even when they're in the car. Shouto asks her to play her music again, which consists of upbeat pop-dance songs and K-pop. He doesn't usually like those types of songs, but it's entertaining watching her jiggle in her seat and attempt to sing along in Korean, so he doesn't find it problematic.

Finally, they're back in Hosu. He stops along the street, across her apartment complex. He watches quietly as she unplugs her phone from the car and fixes her things briefly.

She looks up at him, and suddenly they're staring quietly at each other.

"So," Ochako begins, cheeks glowing warmly against the afternoon sun. "I… had a lot of fun. Even… with the weird stalker situation and all."

He hums. "And the arm freezing thing."

"The arm freezing thing, yeah."

They share an awkward chuckle at that, which transitions into another easy silence. "Let's… try to avoid that next time," he says.

They both realize that he says _next time,_ at the same time. Her cheeks get a little pinker. He bites the inside of his cheek subtly.

"So… I should-" She points a thumb to her apartment awkwardly, and he nods.

She smiles at him. Her eyes are really brown, he realizes, like warm chocolate milk.

She alights, closes the door gently, gives him a wave that he returns dumbly. He watches her and all the bright colours of her floral dress look both ways, cross the street, reach the complex, and eventually disappear behind one of the doors at the first level.

He leaves when he's sure she's safe inside. He drives home, wondering why he can't stop himself from smiling like an idiot.

* * *

 _Me (2231H): that sounds like deku-kun, all right_  
 _Me (2232H): remember the surgery i told u about? He cried so hard after it :(_  
 _Me (2232H): i feel really sorry for the baby… and also for deku-kun… he seemed really hurt_  
 _Me (2233H): ah-sorry.. I didn't notice the time! We've been talkin since the afternoon huh!_  
 _Me (2238H): we should sleep soon, right?_  
 _Me (2239H): hehe did u fall asleep on me? :P i kinda figured u would_  
 _Me (2245H): its ok! i should get to bed too. Morning shift at work n all_  
 _Me (2245H): good night. :)_

 _Todoroki Shouto (2259H): Sorry about that. I brushed my teeth just now._  
 _Todoroki Shouto (2300H): You're right though, we have work early tomorrow._  
 _Todoroki Shouto (2301H): It was… really nice, talking to you._  
 _Todoroki Shouto (2302H): Sweet dreams, Ochako._

* * *

 **AN:** Sorry that this took so long! The holidays were busy, as expected, and I'm hungover on most days that I'm free to write (hold on, my dear liver T_T)

So have a chapter that's like two chapters long omg i've never written a chapter so long before! ah but see, lots of things happened! I had fun setting up the love triangle thingy (i'm just hopin you guys don't hate on Shindo too much, that's totally not my goal when writing this hahaha) and I really enjoyed writing Ochako and Shouto's little conversations that I kept myself from getting too carried away!

(Fun fact! In the Hero Aca Smash comics (which is kinda semi-canon I guess), one of the weirdest fuckin' ass chapters there dealt with the kids taking care of robot babies. Ochako got really attached to her robot baby, which she named Ochasuke lol that's where I got the idea ^_^' )

Thank you so much for reading this! I love all of you thank you also for the lovely comments omg. I hope for your continued support in the new year. Chos!


	7. 6: Can We Talk

**Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea  
** Chapter 6: Can We Talk

* * *

"Hey there," someone says from behind her. "That's… an interesting thing your doing to our weights."

Uraraka Ochako, fifteen years old, first year student of Ketsubutsu High's general studies department, looks guiltily from the floating set of weights to the owner of the voice.

Her eyes meet dark hair, all messed up but in a nice way, like he just rolled out of bed. A handsome face with a sharp jaw, a little dirty and scratched from a scuffle. His gym clothes are all soaked with sweat and burnt and torn to shreds at different areas. He smells like he rolled around a barbeque pit, making her wonder what the heck are these hero course students doing, killing themselves in training?

"Oh," she says in embarrassment, releasing her quirk on the weights all at once. They fall noisily on the concrete floor, making an ugly sound that causes both of them to flinch. "Yeah, sorry. Am I allowed here? If I'm not, can you pretend that this didn't happen? Sorry, I got bored, and my friends-"

He raises two pretty eyebrows at her, lets one side of his mouth curl up in interest. "You got bored waiting for your friends, so you started floating weights around? Most girls just play on their phones or text, or something," he says with amusement.

She shrugs and scratches the back of her head. "I would, believe me, but-"

Her phone is an ancient thing with a huge line in the middle of the screen that dies when she uses it for more than fifteen minutes. It's at ten percent right now, and she left her charger at home, and she really didn't want to walk the 2 kilometers to her tiny apartment in the darkening city without a working phone.

She doesn't want to explain the pathetic story of her phone and poverty, though, so she stammers out, "Much more interestin' usin' my quirk than playin' Candy Crush, that's fer sure."

He guffaws, and she sees a row of perfect, mesmerizing white teeth. "Well, you're right about that," he says. "You're also right about you not being allowed here. This place is _technically_ for hero course students only."

She flinches. "Um… okay… so about the pretending part-"

He tilts his head, a smile that's both playful and devious on his lips. "You asking me to be an accomplice, Ms. General Studies?"

On the surface, that easygoing smile is telling her that it's okay to say yes. But Ochako finds something a little disconcerting under that facade of his-she knows he's plotting something under that pretty boy face of his, but what?

She stares dumbly at him, not really sure what to do, until he laughs and breaks the tension. "Don't worry about it. I didn't see anything," he tells her with another easy smile. "Just don't do it again. You might wreck our equipment with that quirk of yours, ya know?"

She feels her ears turn red. "I'm sorry, I just got surprised. I don't get to practice my quirk as much as you guys," she says, picking up the weights one by one, floating the heavier ones in the air. She tries to be gentle with the landing, but partial gravity release is hard. When she releases them, the guy has to run and catch them in one hand.

Muscles in his arm bulge as he does. She bites her lower lip.

She isn't sure if he notices. He pauses a bit, eyebrow raised. "That's too bad, 'cos your quirk is cool. If you went to the heroes course, I think we'd work really great together."

She blushes further. No-one has ever told her that her quirk was anything other than 'okay', because while it's exceedingly simple compared to others, at least it didn't make her look weird or smell bad. 'Cool' isn't a term she's ready to hear. "Thank you," she says, because she isn't sure what else to say.

The guy steps closer to her. "I'm not just saying it. I'm serious. You don't look like you believe me."

She laughs awkwardly and steps back. "I… I didn't say that."

"Here, I'll prove it to you." Suddenly her hands are in his, and he's staring right into her eyes and she's paralyzed.

She hears her heart pounding wildly in her chest, feels the blood rush from her brain to her heart to her cheeks and the sound is so loud she almost doesn't understand what the boy tells her next.

"Let's spar. Right here."

She freezes. Makes a silly face that makes him laugh out loud.

"I'm serious!" he repeats, dragging her to the sparring area with cushions. She stammers all the way there, even when he somehow gets her to pull off her shoes and stand in front of him, arms akimbo. "It'll be quick. You try to activate the floaty thing on me, and I'll try to dodge. Promise, I won't use my quirk against you or knock you out or anything."

She gives him another ridiculous look, shakes her head. "Are you sure?"

He smiles lazily at her, and positions herself for combat.

With a smirk, she tosses her uniform blazer aside, rolls up her sleeves, gets into position.

It's a tough seven minutes, but it ends with the over-enthusiastic boy hooting up the ceiling in excitement, and Ochako collapsing on the mat from sheer exhaustion.

She releases the quirk, and he falls, lands on all fours like it's no trouble. He helps her up with one pull of a strong arm and asks for her name, as if the thought just came to him then.

What a weirdo, she thinks, and tells him her name.

After that fight, life goes on in General Studies. In between struggling with English and chatting with her friends about the cafes they want to visit after school, Ochako doesn't think much about him, except in quiet moments where she's alone and she's free to squeal and smile and roll over in her bed like an idiot.

Two weeks later, she finds a letter in her locker-a messy scrawl asking to meet with her outside. No signature. Her girl friends squeal at the potential confession. She shrinks at the potential threat.

When she gets there, Shindo Yo, as promised, stands there by himself with just his easy smile and his sincerity. "Uraraka-san, I like you," he says with an intense look in his pretty dark eyes that makes her melt. He takes both hands in hers again, making sure that her finger-pads don't make either of them float this time. "Please go out with me."

She manages to say yes, somehow, despite the fireworks going off in her little brain. The happy smile on his face makes her heart feel full. He holds her hand, fingers intertwined, and takes her home.

When they find out the next day, all her friends squeal and ask _how the heck did you manage to get the most popular guy in the hero course to look at you?_ At the risk of admitting violating school policy, she keeps her mouth shut and her smile consistently mysterious.

Days later, she opens her shoe locker and finds it full of garbage.

* * *

Ochako, strangely enough, _misses_ the unsophisticated, garbage-in-your-locker type of bullying in high school. Because at least then she has a concrete, visual evidence of all the nasty shit going on in those evil little minds of theirs. Plus she can make the garbage float above the bullies and make the icky shit drip over their heads. It's a satisfying stunt she pulled off once, and paid for with a hard shove against her locker, which didn't make it any less worth it.

Now that she's all grown-up there's nothing as solid as garbage that showed their nasty thoughts in striking clarity. Only whispers and dirty looks that just won't die down. Only these so-called professionals making her wait for too long when she needs to endorse important things about patients, and then blaming her for her slowness when things happen. Only anonymous comments on her (already locked) social media accounts and on the HGH Facebook pages that make not-so-subtle comments about her spending so much time staring into Doctoroki's eyes that she makes a lot of mistakes at work.

Her HGH 'parents' are enraged, of course. Mina especially is always on the verge of throwing hands at anyone who so much as squints in Ochako's direction. Eijiro, the more rational parent, has been coaching her to tell the nursing supervisor about the goings-on, but how is she going to do that when one of them told her to keep her relationship from affecting her work?

Also! How can her 'relationship' get in the way of work, anyway, when there isn't much happening in that area? Sure, they make enough public appearances (lunch in the _very middle_ of the cafeteria, facing each other, fifteen minutes max twice that week!) to keep the charade going, but… Doctoroki and her have gone back to being quiet.

It's not that they're being cold. They text as often as they can, but things have been insane at work. Shouto needed to back-up Dr. Momo a _lot_ this week. There has also been an increase in villain activity everywhere, which means more wounded civilians and pros to tend to. Ochako herself feels the strain. She replies to him diligently, tries to get a conversation going despite the hour-long gaps in between replies.

It definitely isn't the same as the nice talk they had over the weekend. She supposes this is why there are articles and articles in girly magazines about how hard it is to date _anyone_ in the medical profession-for them, time is a construct that only serves to tell them how much they _haven't_ accomplished yet.

But at least this time Shouto seems to be a little less _clinical_ in his texts.

 _Todoroki Shouto (1434H): Got a case with pedia-trauma, burn injuries, just stabilized. The pro who rescued the child days ago just visited. Midoriya is having his pre-op crying session as we speak._

 _Todoroki Shouto (1434H): Should I comfort him, or let him be? I feel very out of place just watching him here._

Ochako giggles imagining the scene. Deku-kun doesn't always need the pre-op sobfest, but in hard cases he does it to focus, and so he doesn't burst out into tears in the middle of the OR. Or so he says.

Three hours ago, she realizes, as she looks at the timestamps. If the other nurses didn't make her wait so long and didn't give her such a hard time during endorsements, she might have been able to reply to him earlier.

She starts to type, _sorry, Shouto… you know, im having a hard time with work lately_

… and then shakes her head, puffs her cheeks, deletes. No, don't… Shouto doesn't need to hear your drama, he doesn't need more emotional load, he doesn't have that sort of responsibility for you. This isn't real. Isn't real.

 _Me (1737H): sry! Brought a couple of cases to med ward, took a while!_

 _Me (1738H): i hope u told him he was gonna be okay! deku-kun needs a lot of tlc!_

 _Me (1738H): work hard! I hope the baby makes it :(_

She sighs and drops her phone in her scrubsuit pocket and patiently waits for her 'tattoo date' in the hospital lobby.

Her phone vibrates again, and she inhales a bit, hoping that it's Dr. Tokage telling her that she's on the way down and they can _finally_ go to Illusion Inks for her next session with Jirou. It'll be an hour of her being pierced with needles while watching two pretty girls shamelessly flirt while she simmers in mild jealousy, but it's definitely better than moping about at home and waiting for the next reply from-

 _Shindo Yo (1740H): Hi, Uraraka-san!_

 _Shindo Yo (1741H): Busy day at work, I bet (✖╭╮✖) it's the same for us too_

 _Shindo Yo (1741H): what r u up to?_

She stares glumly at the texts. Of course it isn't Doctoroki. She breathes, asks herself why she's doing this, but does it anyway.

 _Me (1742H): I'm on my way out of work, senpai._

 _Shindo Yo (1743H): wow, ur replying fast to me today! Happy~ Ｏ_ _(≧∇≦)Ｏ_

 _Shindo Yo (1745H): u must be rly rly pissed at work today huh? lol_

 _Me (1747H): ig_

 _Me (1747H): lots of villain attacks lately. busy_

 _Shindo Yo (1748H): u know it :( we're trying our best too. Just worked a double shift cos of that. Im beat!_

 _Me (1749H): same_

 _Shindo Yo (1750H): yeah u look like it 〈_ _(゜。゜_ _) gotta do sth bout that_

She freezes and narrows her eyes at the text. Wait, don't tell me-

 _Me (1751H): senpai. Dont be creepy_

 _Shindo Yo (1752H): waaaah im not_

 _Me (1752H): im callin security_

 _Shindo Yo (1753H): pls dont i promise im not bein creepy!_

 _Me (1754H): yes. u. r!_

 _Shindo Yo (1754H): only a little! just dont move ok?_

From her vantage point in the middle sofa, she immediately looks around the lobby. There are only a few people sitting, waiting, speaking to the receptionist, who all suddenly turn to her with barely-concealed interest in their eyes.

She smells strawberries from behind her. When she turns her head, she gets a faceful of box and strawberry scent. "What the-"

"Whoa, easy," that familiar voice says with a chuckle. "You really are extra pissed today, huh."

She gets the box out of her face and gives Shindo Yo a solid glare. "Senpai! What are you doing here?!" she squeaks.

He isn't wearing his skimpy hero uniform, thank god. He's in a shirt, a leather jacket and skinny jeans, a lazy smile on his face that would have made her stupid with want in her younger years. He chuckles again and leans forward. No sense of personal space whatsoever, as usual. "Had business here. I'm just waiting for my associate to get to the lobby so we can time out."

She raises an eyebrow, obviously not believing him. "We?"

"My new agency, remember? We've been crazy busy lately, but when we get time we try to see the people we help out on the field." He moves the box around, as if it's proof enough of his claims. "I just saw a young lady I rescued from an attack in Naruhata. She gave me an entire box of strawberry mochi. Which is sweet, but unfortunate, seein' as I don't really like sweets and all…"

Even though it's not uncommon for pro heroes to do just that, especially the young ones, Ochako isn't convinced. "Really. Where is she admitted?"

Shindo rolls his eyes, pulls out a card attached from the box and reads. "Dear Seismic-sama, Thank you for saving my life. Heart eyes. It isn't much, but please accept my gift! This is my fav snack ever and I hope this makes you happy, exclamation exclamation. Stars and hearts and cute rabbit with hearts for eyes. Love, Luna-chan from room 432."

He lets her read the card, and she has to admit that the glittery gel ink and the cutesy handwriting makes it look genuine. She stops narrowing her eyes. "Okay. I guess that's pretty nice, senpai."

"Right?" he says with a proud little grin. "Am I still creepy, Uraraka-san?"

She puffs her cheeks. "You still are," she says with a petulant upturn of the nose. "I really thought you were waiting to ambush me! You really gotta be less weird when you text!"

"Haha, fine fine." He tries to look apologetic, but not really. "So… you alone here? Are you waiting for Todoroki-san, or…"

"Oh… no… he's busy," she says. Instinctively, she looks at her phone and sees no messages. She wonders if the surgery is over.

"Hm. Odd." There's a little devious glint in his eyes as he says it, one that makes Ochako narrow her eyes at him again like he's a creep. "What, I'm just saying! Because _she_ told me she's just finished talking to him, and-"

She? Who she? Also, what would Shindo know about Todoroki anyway? Seriously, why does he care so much about the two of them, when-

"Shindo-senpai. Uraraka-san," someone says from behind him, making Ochako's words of protest die in her mouth.

Two people approach from behind them, staring at their conversation as if it's the strangest thing in the world. Ochako meets Kodai Yui's raven eyes and glassy skin and aura of gentleness that she'll never achieve in her lifetime ever. The momentary breathlessness that any normal person gets from staring at her magnifies upon seeing the person next to her.

"Oh… Yui-chan and Todoroki-kun," Shindo says. Standard friendly smile on his face, a raise of an eyebrow as he glances at Ochako knowingly. "You guys done with your little talk?"

Ochako doesn't mean to stare, but the way Shouto looks at her in a mildly perturbed manner makes her wonder how shocked her face must look like.

Yui nods. "Our patient is okay. Todoroki-san and Midoriya-san did well."

The other pro nods, and then sticks his hand out to shake Shouto's. "So I guess that means I should congratulate you, Doc? Yui-chan was _so worried_ about Tanuki-kun. She was pretty happy knowing that you were on board the case and all, ya know?"

Face not moving the slightest, Shouto nods and takes Shindo's hand. "Thank you. Seismic-san, right?"

"Nah, you can call me Shindo. Or, senpai. We didn't go to the same school, but we're both proper heroes, you and I," he says, eyes creasing. "Uraraka-san calls me that, so I don't mind if you do too."

"Hm," says Shouto, looking at Ochako curiously.

Ochako stupidly looks down on her hands.

Yui glances at the two of them with an unreadable look before looking at Shindo again. "Senpai, Yoarashi-san might be wondering where we are right now."

"Ah, you're right." Shindo makes a bashful face and bows to the two of them. "Sorry for cutting our conversation off so abruptly, Uraraka-san! I guess we can continue next time, eh?"

"Huh? No, that's-"

Before she can protest _no, we aren't talking about anything important at all, don't say misleading things in front of my fake boyfriend,_ Shindo is already pushing Yui by her shoulders out of the lobby and giving the two of them a small wave of one hand. Soon, they disappear in the elevators, leaving the doctor and the nurse alone.

Shouto blinks once and trains his eyes to hers. "You two seem close," he says neutrally.

She nods, bites her lower lip. "I knew him from high school."

 _My first boyfriend,_ she wants to say. _First person I ever loved. First boy to ever break my heart._ Because it's the truth, a distant one that's so far away that she should feel nothing significant if she admits them.

Still, she doesn't. And she wonders why the words don't come.

"Hm," Shouto repeats.

There's something odd going on in his eyes, something very hard to read. Ochako decides that if he were to ask anything at all about Shindo, that she'd tell him everything-how they started and how they ended and how Shindo is weaseling himself back into her life and she's probably giving him one too many chances to do so by replying to his stupid texts because she's stupid and lonely and stressed over all the gossip and all the things going on in Shouto's family that really isn't any of their faults-basically all that she _can't_ tell Shouto because heaven knows he's got too much on his plate as it is, and Shindo seems to like listening to her, but she really wished that it was just Shouto and her and none of this shitty drama-and even though none of this is real, sometimes it _feels so real_ , just like their drive back from Shizuoka, and-

And…

And, Shouto doesn't say a single word. And… all that senseless drivel dies down her throat. She looks down on her hands again and gives up on that trainwreck of ideas.

Instead, she braces herself and says, "You and Yui-san."

He blinks. Without a word or a single movement, waits for her to continue.

She inhales as quietly as she can, and speaks again. "I didn't know you guys spoke too," she manages, without any incriminating lilts to her tone. Or so she hopes. "I mean… I'm not, you know-I'm just a little bit surprised, I didn't know she was the pro you were talking about earlier-"

Ochako do you really sound as much as a jealous bitch as you do in your head?! You're just stating cold hard facts, so don't be weird about this. Don't be stupid.

Shouto speaks, after a beat of loaded silence. "I should have texted you about her, I suppose," he says quietly. "She went to us right before the surgery to make sure that-"

 _"Paging Dr. Todoroki to ER. Dr. Todoroki, to ER now. Dr. Todoroki-"_

They look up the ceiling, then at each other, and down on the ground simultaneously. Open their mouths at the same time, wordlessly clamp them shut as if they're each other's awkward, awkward mirrors.

Shouto exhales quietly, and says, "I should go. That might be Dr. Aizawa looking for me. I heard there's been another Nomu attack nearby."

Ochako nods. She tries to give a bright smile. "Okay. Do your best, Todoroki-kun."

"Okay. Be careful going home, Uraraka." He looks down on her hands, that odd look never leaving. Ochako carefully stares at his mouth, waits for the usual smile he gives her before they part ways.

It doesn't come. Soon she watches his broad back disappear as he goes past the doors to the ER.

Later, she realizes that she's still holding the box that Shindo left behind. _For Seismic-sama,_ the card reads, clearly visible to the naked eye.

She wants to shove her face repeatedly into the stupid mochi.

* * *

The bothersome feelings of that odd encounter don't leave her, not even when Setsuna eventually makes it to the lobby and asks her why she looks like she looks like Dr. Shiozaki after talking to an atheist. She manages not to say a lot of how she feels on the way to Illusion Ink, but eventually caves to the heavy interrogation when Kyoka starts working on her tattoo again.

(It's _really_ hard to be dishonest while a sharp needle is drawing lines on the inner, softer side of your arm.)

She doesn't tell them about the fake-dating scheme. Just her honest troubles about people talking shit and treating her like shit, but not hard enough that she can complain to people about it. People hinting that she isn't good enough for Shouto, just because she's an ordinary nurse with an ordinary face and an ordinary quirk, and how fucked up it is that people would rather see him with Yui-san rather than someone like her.

And actually _seeing_ him with Yui-san, out of nowhere… that took her by surprise. Made her feel weirder than it should. Shouto didn't even look that bothered when Ochako was eyeing the two of them with all those silent questions floating in her head. She was ready to listen to whatever excuse-no, explanation he would give, but he got paged, and all she has is that heavy shitty feeling in her tummy to bring home.

"Hm," Kyoka says, as she lifts the needle and dabs her swollen skin with gauze. (Lots of people going _hm_ this evening. She's starting to get sick of it.) "And you say that Doctoroki saw you talking to that Shindo guy at the lobby, right?"

Ochako winces, but doesn't say anything.

"Hm," Setsuna concurs, as her sharp teeth work through a strawberry mochi. "Todoroki saw, all right. I was watching all of you from the back, 'cause it looked like drama was 'bout to go down-"

Her jaw drops, allowing a shocked stupid sound escape from it.

"- and it was obvious that Seismic was super into you," she continues without an ounce of shame. Her disembodied hand floats and stuffs a mochi into Kyoka's mouth, who receives it blankly. "If I were Todoroki, I'd be super bothered. But he didn't say _anything_ at all after that encounter. Right, Ochako-chan?"

She closes her jaw, and winces again. That's also part of why she feels like shit right now. "Is it weird that I feel bad that he didn't feel bad about this?"

The other girls look at each other. "Well… I mean if it were us, and it was Yui instead of Seismic makin' eyes at Kyoka-chan, I won't be bothered," says the lizard girl thoughtfully.

"I agree. Yui looks like a sweetheart," the tattoo apprentice agrees with a sage nod. "I even got her photobook! It's really nice, I understand why they had a stampede over it-"

"Oh shit, is it the unofficial one by the photographer, Spiral?" gasps Setsuna, eyes wide when Kyoka nods at her smugly. "Let me borrow please omg I heard the entire book is _soul-cleansing,_ and heaven knows my dead and rotting soul needs cleansing-"

Ochako immediately realizes that she's speaking with the wrong pair. She sighs as they gush a little more about Yui, until they notice her simmering in a pool of insecurity.

"Oh, but we don't mean that you're any less of a sweetheart than Yui," says the internist with a cackle. "Uh… right. What I was saying was, it's different, what happened earlier. Seismic and you? I dunno, I guess for others it looks like you guys were just talking but… when I saw you I had half a mind to get you out of there… something just didn't feel right, I guess? And I was totally waitin' for Todoroki to do the same, but..."

He didn't. The little nurse twists her lip. "I wish you got me out of there, Dr. Tokage," she sighs. "Maybe then I wouldn't feel so…"

 _Disappointed. Guilty._

"Weird," she finishes, with a sigh.

"Hm." Kyoka and Setsuna say in unison, eyeing her with sympathy and suspicion and it's weird how they mixed those together.

"Well," the tattoo artist says thoughtfully, triangular eyes boring right into hers in the most grown-up glint she's ever seen, "I get the confusion, I really do. You're dealing with a lot at work, so you're not at your best right now. Maybe that thing with that Shindo guy is nothing, and that thing with Yui is nothing, and maybe it isn't worth it to be weird about it. But I think that all those weird things that you're feeling should be expressed as they are to Doctoroki. You know? I mean… it might be a weird conversation, but you guys are in a real, adult relationship-"

She tries not to choke at the last part.

"-and real, adult relationships require real, adult conversations. Otherwise, there'd be misunderstandings, and trust me, those are the things you want to deal with as soon as possible. Right, Setsuna?"

Setsuna nods and gives Ochako a sawtooth smile. "Gotta say, Ochako-chan, you got your work cut out for you, eh? Shouto's a _talker,_ isn't he?"

The nurse sighs deeply. He can be, if he wants to, but it's obvious that he didn't want to say _anything_ earlier. Maybe for him it's all nothing.

Maybe she should talk to him about it. But… how to start talking to Todoroki Shouto about… _feelings_?

 _Yikes, Ochako. Good luck._

The troubled nurse closes her eyes as Kyoka continues shading the entire planet Saturn on her arm.

* * *

 _Me (2143H): hey! Im home from illusion ink. Arm hurts like crazy. Dr Tokage gave me a ride back. How r u?_

 _Todoroki Shouto (2200H): That's good. I'm waiting for our turn to use the OR. It's going to be a busy night._

 _Me (2202H): Oh no. Please do your best! ;;;;_

 _Todoroki Shouto (2201H): Thank you. I will._

 _Me (2217H): Say, Shouto. I know this is weird for me to ask, but_

 _Me (2218H): Can we talk?_

 _Todoroki Shouto (2219H): ?_

 _Todoroki Shouto (2219H): We're talking now._

 _Me (2220H): No, I mean. Like a real talk irl. Over food or sth_

 _Me (2221H): I can treat you anywhere u like promise_

 _Todoroki Shouto (2221H): Ah._

 _Todoroki Shouto (2222H): It might be difficult to do so soon. I'll do my best to make time._

 _Todoroki Shouto (2224H): I'll let you know as soon as I can._

 _Me (2226H): Oh! Thats totally fine i get wat u mean_

 _Me (2228H): so yeah, i guess ill just wait for ur schedule to clear up;; and mine too hahaha_

 _Me (2245H): ah, so, i gotta go to bed soon, got the morning shift tomorrow_

 _Me (2246H): good night ^_^_

 _Todoroki Shouto (0214H): Sorry about that. We just got out of surgery._

 _Todoroki Shouto (0215H): Please be patient with me, Ochako._

 _Todoroki Shouto (0230H): Good night._

* * *

Things happen. Outside, society's on the verge of crumbling because villains keep popping up left and right.

Life in the hospital, however, goes on.

This week, Shouto and Ochako manage to make exactly one public appearance: a coffee run at the convenience store next to the hospital lobby, before he forces his sleep-deprived self to drive her home. She isn't sure if he does it out of obligation to their set-up, or if he needed a functioning pair of eyes at the passenger seat to wake him up if he falls asleep on the wheel… which happens twice, at different stoplights.

They make it to Ochako's apartment without incident. She watches him carefully as he rubs his tired eyes and takes a swig of the cheap coffee, which makes his mouth curl in distaste. "Are you going to make it home, Doctoroki?"

He nods, although his sallow eyes seem to say the contrary.

She swallows nervously and says, "You can… take a nap inside, if you want to-"

"I'll be okay," Shouto says, with sudden clarity. "I don't want to impose."

 _But you should,_ she thinks. "I don't want you to get in an accident."

He shakes his head. "I won't. Promise."

He drains the coffee, to prove his point further. Ochako continues to eye him warily, but it looks like entering her tiny home will make him more uncomfortable than dying on the road, so she keeps her mouth shut.

"You can… take a nap _in_ your car, if you need to," she says, unbuckling her seatbelt with a sense of defeat.

"Don't worry about me." He tries to look at her with some assurance. "I'll be fine. I'll text you when I get home. Or when they pull me out of the wreckage. Either way."

She laughs nervously. That's all she can do at this point.

Thankfully, twenty minutes later as she sits on the floor biting her fingernails to the crescent, Shouto sends a photo of his car, parked safely in the garage. _Home. I'll be sleeping in a bit. I'll see you at work tomorrow._

And that's that, for the week. Ochako feels a little empty, if she were being completely honest with herself, but really, she shouldn't have hoped for anything different than this sudden exhausted back-and-forth between them.

She shouldn't have allowed herself to feel much more than that.

Because as it happens, on the dull Tuesday that follows, all hell breaks loose in the feelings department, in the worst way that it can.

* * *

It happens like this:

1409H. Most of her work is done, she isn't on deck for the next procedure. All her paperworks are done, and her shift is essentially over. It's one of those rare good days at work where she finishes on time. Eijirou and Yuuga are done, too, and to celebrate the rare miracle of being out of the hospital in the light of day, they decide to treat themselves to a nice meal.

Eijirou and Yuuga argue about where to go for some time. In hindsight, Ochako thinks that things might have gone differently if Yuuga had insisted on wanting to eat Monoma's croque madame a little bit more, but as it happens Eijirou convinces them that NTG cafe is the way to go, because _have you even tried their truffle pasta Aoyama? Oh my god you should,_ and also he wants to see if the owner, Bakugou, is doing okay today. (He doesn't elaborate much when he's asked why he wants to check, though.)

Ochako hasn't been to this cafe much-the first time she ordered something, Bakugou was manning the counter and had the gall to write _RoundFace_ on her cup. Never mind how accurate it is, and how very amused Mina was at the time it happened, it was still pretty darn rude. But she digresses.

Today, though, the other blonde barista named Kaminari takes their orders, and they take a seat at the back of the cafe, near the exit at the other side.

As they wait, Yuuga gushes about the Idiabazal cheese he got thru the Cheese of the Month club. Ochako tries to be interested, but ducks down to send a message on her phone very quickly:

 _Me (1432H): I finished work on time today so im eatin out with eijirou-kun and yuuga-kun :) i hope work won't be too insane for you today._

She stares at the screen for a good minute after she sends it, expects nothing and sees nothing. She pushes her phone back to her pocket, tries to lose herself in Yuuga's sparkles, and…

The cafe collectively holds its breath, as the pro-hero Yui enters.

Even Yuuga pauses for a good second to say, "Ah! My, isn't she stunning?"

Dressed simply in a sleeveless white shirt and jeans that fit her just right; very light make-up that enhances the glow of her face. Straight, dark hair that falls over her shoulders. She goes to the counter to place her order, not minding how Kaminari instantly goes _whey_ and almost messes everything up.

"Yeah, she is," Ochako admits with just a smidgen of sour in her voice. She watches as Yui regards the grenade-matryoshka bomb at the counter with prolonged interest, opening and closing the doll as if it's the most amusing thing in the world.

 _Huh,_ she thinks, seeing the unmistakable smile on the other girl's face. _So she_ can _do something else with her mouth…_

She reprimands herself for sounding so mean, and goes back to sipping her cold brew.

The door chimes as another person enters the cafe. She doesn't look up, not until she hears Eijirou cough, and Yuuga hum in surprise.

Ochako almost doubles over herself, when she sees the scene in front of her.

Todoroki Shouto looks mildly out of breath, like he ran on the way there. His coat is slung over his arm, and when he reaches out to touch Yui on the shoulder, she turns and stares at him as if she's expecting him to be there.

"What the," Eijirou mumbles, looking at Ochako with more than just a little concern.

They exchange very sparse words, and pick a table at the other, more intimate end of the cafe. They don't seem to notice that they are there. When they sit, Shouto's back is to them. Yui's face is visible from Ochako's vantage point, if she peeks over the other customers' shoulders.

"Well… this is quite _étrange_ ," Yuuga whispers to her, conspiratorially. "Did you know about this, _mon enfant?_ "

She numbly shakes her head and keeps an eye on them from a distance. Yui seems to be saying, _thank you for meeting me here, Todoroki-san. You must be busy._

Eijirou reaches out for her hand. "Baby, you okay? Maybe we should go there and say hi? You know, it could be nothing, and..."

Ochako shakes her head again, and watches Shouto's head move a little as he speaks. The heroine replies with a curt nod. There are plenty of words being exchanged-she misses a lot of the words being said, and barely deciphers, _I understand. For your family though, this might be important._

The blonde turns to her with a questioning stare. " _Mes amies,_ Ochako doesn't look so well, perhaps we should leave instead, let her have some fresh air-"

"Shush, you two," she snaps, a little too sternly than she means. Her two friends flinch and look down. She'll say sorry later, but now she can't feel any sense of apology, she can't feel anything-

 _Okay,_ Yui says, an odd look in her eyes. Her mouth doesn't move from its usual straight, impassive line. She says something that Ochako can't quite catch, and then-

 _I want to hold your hand._

Shouto freezes. Ochako freezes even more, because Yui reaches out and holds his right hand, and he doesn't stop her, and she says something in such a low voice, her mouth barely moving, like it's a _secret_ between the two of them, and Shouto leans forward, says something back, and-

"Babe." Eijirou's tone is sharper now, sharp enough to cut through the panicked haze that her head is suddenly lost in. "Ochako. Look at me."

She does just that, and wonders why his face is suddenly so hazy and why it's hard to breathe. When she inhales, it's shaky, and an ugly sob wants to escape from her open mouth. She doesn't let it though, she focuses on the way Eijirou is holding her hand and the way Yuuga is patting comforting circles at her back, keeping the sounds at bay.

"Let's get you out of here, okay?" the redhead says softly. He shimmies out of his hoodie and places it on top of her shaking head. "You don't have to say anything, we'll just get you through the back exits, get you some fresh air-"

" _Oui, ma petite chérie,_ " Yuuga adds, dabbing her cheeks with a paper napkin and glaring at the other tables, who begin to stare. "We'll take care of you, do not worry."

"Okay," she hiccups stupidly.

They make it outside somehow, away from prying eyes. Ochako guesses and hopes that the faraway table doesn't notice them and her and her stupid tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes. Eijirou drives her home, with Yuuga tagging along, sitting in careful silence.

In her tiny apartment (the one Shouto doesn't even want to step into, ahhh it makes more sense now), she allows her friends to sit herself down on the floor, wrap a blanket or two around her, play her favorite songs. Yuuga fusses about her bare kitchenette and somehow comes out with a cup of hot cocoa, while Eijirou sends an SOS to Mina and Hanta to come after their shift, if they can.

They ask her to talk, in turn. About her and Doctoroki, if there were any problems, if there were any signs. Because, social media aside, come to think of it, her friends don't know a thing about the two of them. "I mean, I see you guys eat together at work sometimes, but I… haven't seen you two talk up close. Except that time in the locker," Eijirou says as gently as he can.

She shakes her head. Keeping up appearances is hard enough to do for the crowds and Shouto's family. "We haven't been… talking a lot."

They never did get back to talking about their IRL talk. They ask why, and the urge to tell her closest friends about the fake dating scheme wells in her chest like a dam about to break, but she stops herself on time. Still, she can't give another reason other than being busy. Eijirou and Yuuga look at each other and sigh in unison.

"Whatever is going on, mon cher," Yuuga says, after they carefully try to wheedle more useless details from her, "You two simply must talk. Yes?"

Ochako sniffles and says, "But… talking is hard."

She's afraid of admitting to Shouto that she feels hurt, even though by all accounts she doesn't have the right to. Especially when Shouto did all this in the first place 'so no-one gets hurt'.

Eijirou laughs and ruffles her hair, like the brat that she is. "Yeah. It is. But I don't think you'll feel any better just not talking about this right?"

She buries her face in her fluffy blankets and whines.

* * *

 _Todoroki Shouto (1756H): Good work today. The patient we operated on is recovering really quickly._

 _Todoroki Shouto (1758H): Are you on your way home?_

 _Me (1805H): ya i am. In mina-chans car_

 _Todoroki Shouto (1806H): Okay. Let me know when you're safe at home._

 _Me (1810H): …_

 _Todoroki Shouto (1812H): …?_

 _Me (1814H): why_

 _Todoroki Shouto (1820H): …_

 _Todoroki Shouto (1821H): I'd like to know that you made it home without anyone causing you harm or threatening you._

 _Todoroki Shouto (1822H): I don't want a repeat of what happened in Shizuoka._

 _Me (1825H): ah. ya that makes sense_

 _Todoroki Shouto (1829H): Are you all right, Ochako?_

 _Me (1830H): yeah i am_

 _Todoroki Shouto (1831H): You sure?_

 _Todoroki Shouto (1832H): Please be honest with me_

 _Todoroki Shouto (1832H): Whatever is bothering you, I'd like to know. I'd like to help._

 _Me (1834H): Doctoroki_

 _Me (1837H): Shouto, I mean_

 _Me (1838H): When should we break up?_

* * *

 **AN:** First of all: sorry this is really late! T_T haha when IRL demands, they really demand. and also i probably erased and revised around 5k words from the original chapter maybe once or twice ahhh it's really hard to get this chapter to flow the way I want it to.

So-haha we've hit the More Angst chapters and I'm sorry about that but it had to happen, you know how fake dating stories eventually go hehe! My only plea for you guys is: Please don't hate Yui! Also, Ochako and Shouto really need to talk omg and in rl relationships... talking is hard but it's important lol

I'm not very verbose right now I'm sorry! Ahhh I hope this chapter isn't too stressful for u guys


	8. 7: Are We Holding Each Other Back

**Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea  
** Chapter 7: Are We Holding Each Other Back

* * *

What does it take to be a pro-hero? Super strength? Wits? Popularity? A heart of gold? Or a lot of luck? Whatever it is, Todoroki Shouto, 17 years old, doesn't think that three years of high school education and training is enough to supply that. UA or not.

"Todoroki!"

His eyes go from his dirty hands to the figure stomping his way to him. He looks way, way up to meet Yoarashi Inasa's dark, turbulent eyes. He's breathless too, a little less dirty than Shouto is, but only just.

On the surface, his fellow sidekick may seem more together. He's large and strong and loud, and in the cramped emergency room he towers over everyone, so that doctors, nurses, and patients alike stare at him in awe and some semblance of gratitude.

The way he's looking at Shouto, though, it's obvious that he's just as shaken as he is. In a gentler tone, definitely uncharacteristic of him: "What're ya doin', just sitting there? They're waitin' for ya there, ta clean ya up and get yer statement..."

Shouto regards him blankly, but doesn't move. Yoarashi exhales loudly and looks like he has half a mind to carry the shorter boy in his arms. He can, theoretically, and he almost looks like he would, but settles for gruffly lifting his arm and pulling him to his feet.

This rough movement snaps Shouto out of his trance briefly, somewhat erratically. "I can move by myself."

Yoarashi frowns. "You aren't, though."

The shorter hero shakes his head. "Just a little longer," he mumbles, looking at the critical beds. The quiet commotion there continues, with nurses working on various drips and medications, and young doctors on all sides working on the man's multiple wounds and burns, the largest one on his face. He sees the numbers on the monitor and struggles to decipher their meaning.

"Todoroki. Ya did all ya could. We all did. Yer… I mean, Endeavor did too, so..." Yoarashi says, again in that uncharacteristic soft voice. "He's in good hands now, yeah?"

No, he didn't. He could have minded his surroundings more. Could have shouted in a louder voice, so that the people around them knew to run away. Could have used his ice instead of his fire against that villain-he shouldn't even have attempted to use flames, not with Endeavor and Yoarashi around, who potentiate his power exponentially to beyond his control.

Shouto doesn't have the strength to say so.

His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing. He looks up to meet a man impeccably dressed in a suit made of denim, and a tired-looking man with unruly dark hair and bloodshot eyes. The contrast is uncanny; were it not for the denim man's doctor's coat, and the tired man's scrub suit, he wouldn't have guessed they were doctors.

"So you are Endeavor's sidekicks, I presume? The ones who brought in Mr. Aihara in critical bed 1?" the blonde doctor asks politely.

Shouto nods. Dr. Hakamata Tsunagu, Neurosurgery, his coat reads. "Is he going to make it?" he asks, in a tone that he hopes is polite, but begs against any bullshit.

The disheveled one, Dr. Aizawa Shota of the Emergency Department, answers him bluntly. "He isn't looking good. He lost a lot of blood, and about 70% of his skin is burnt. He's got a really big hematoma in his brain too. We called in Dr. Hakamata here for a possible evacuation of that bleed, but he isn't stable enough to be brought to surgery."

Hearing that feels worse than the suckerpunch to the gut he endured fighting the villain earlier.

"We're bracing for the worst," Dr. Hakamata says, after a moment where the two young sidekicks are unable to form a reply. "Dr. Aizawa and his team has informed the patient's remaining family of the situation. His daughter is here, waiting."

A girl in a middle school uniform who looks as stunned at the events as they are is sitting at the benches near the entrance, shaking and pale with tears in her eyes.

"I see." Shouto nods and politely bows, murmurs his thanks, and rushes to the girl. The girl is in the middle of wiping her eyes when she stands up bug-eyed to meet them.

"Aihara-san," he begins, senses Yoarashi hovering right behind him. "I'm… very sorry for what happened to your father. It's my…"

The girl looks up at him as if she can't quite believe what is happening. He supposes he'd feel the same too, if an important person who's okay in the morning is suddenly at the brink of death when he sees them in the evening. And then, to be ambushed by two unknown and unhelpful and filthy sidekicks like this…

He wants to tell her sorry for messing up. For hurting her father, instead of protecting him like he should have. For being the reason why she's alone now.

Yoarashi doesn't say anything for once. He wishes unfairly that the taller man would say anything to break the silence, to finish Shouto's broken sentence. But he doesn't this time. His timing has always been off.

The girl shakes her head and tries to put on a brave front, though. "It's all right, Shouto-san. Reppu-san. I… saw what happened on TV. The villain was there, and Dad was… just at the wrong place, at the wrong time."

He was coming home from work in a busy part of the city. Their team should have maneuvered the fight elsewhere, but they weren't able to.

"... I mean… it's an accident. People get hurt 'cause of villains all the time," she continues, with a little break in her voice as she looks at the busy ER. Injured people coming in left and right. Dr. Aizawa's already gone back to work.

He has nothing else to say to that. He holds out one filthy hand, staining her pure white uniform top entirely by accident. On his touch, she starts weeping again and starts to accept his sorry attempt at comfort, only stopping when another shadow looms above them.

"Shouto," the familiar annoying voice goes. He sees the glow of the obnoxious flames before he sees Endeavor's face as he turns around. There's an annoyed twist to the man's lip when he regards his and Yoarashi's bloody states. "They're waiting for you outside."

"Who?" he snaps. He feels Yoarashi stare at him, just as he feels his eyes go colder.

"The police. The reporters. Also our agency staff, to make you appear less filthy for the cameras."

He frowns. "Let them wait. It's not important."

"Yes it is," the old man snarls. "It's your first successful takedown of a villain, and an important one at that. The public's waiting for you. You and Yoarashi are going to receive accolades for this."

The taller sidekick makes a face that says he isn't too happy to hear that at all. Shouto can feel the conflict from where he stands. Still, he doesn't back down. "If you're more interested in accolades, you can go ahead and face them. We have real casualties to deal with, Endeavor."

Endeavor makes a move to touch him on his shoulder, which he swats away on instinct. The old man glares at him, but makes no other move. Instead, he shifts his irritated gaze to Yoarashi, who instantly stands taller. "Ten minutes," he tells him, and leaves.

Shouto is unable to control the coldness in his eyes when he looks at the girl again, who whimpers audibly and bows. "I'm sorry for taking up your time," she squeaks, and moves away.

He meets Yoarashi's gaze, who is still stunned at the exchange. "We gotta do as yer old man says, Shouto! He might actually fire us this time!"

Another wave of patients come in from another attack that happened nearby. The ER is a flurry of activity once again, and it's apparent that the two sidekicks are standing in the way.

He nods at Yoarashi and follows him out. As promised, he's cleaned up and placed in a cleaner costume. The police take his statements and the reporters ask him questions. He answers them as curtly as he can.

Hours later, Dr. Aizawa tells him that Mr. Aihara coded on the way to surgery. The daughter refused any other treatment, and was there when they announced the time of death.

The next day, the press is singing him and Yoarashi praises for apprehending the villain-in-question. Endeavor Agency's management proudly tells him that his official Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts have doubled in followers. Letters and presents from fans litter his desk every morning when he comes in for work. The local prefecture office sent him flowers.

He resigns from the Endeavor Agency roster the following week, leaving his pro-hero license at his desk.

* * *

"Lookit you, Todoroki! Never thought I'd see you in the hospital again as a doctor! You look so respectable! I can't believe it!"

Shouto winces at the assault on his eardrums, and the rest of his body when Yoarashi Inasa slaps him on the back with the force of a tornado. Next to him, Midoriya doesn't help him, and instead stares up at the giant pro with shiny green eyes.

"Thank you," he replies, struggling to regain his composure. "You look well too. Better."

"Wh-what?! Yeah, Todoroki, thanks! That means a lot!" Yoarashi just _beams_ at that and is thankfully a little speechless at his compliment. Shouto means it, though. He supposes anyone who can make it out of the Endeavor Agency with his integrity intact deserves just as much.

"By the way, this is my colleague, Midoriya. He's from pediatric surgery. We're doing the procedure together."

On cue, the green-haired surgeon stammers out his name, bows feverishly, and whips out a notebook for autographs. "I'm such a huge fan of yours, Reppu-san! I've been following your career since you were in the Endeavor Agency… and Yui-san as well, when you were still with Ryuukyuu! It's amazing meeting you guys in person!"

"Pleasure is all mine," Kodai says flatly, shaking Midoriya's hand. "Thank you very much for taking care of Tanuki-san."

"Yeah! Can ya believe the nerve of villains nowadays?! Givin' a lil 5-year-old kid like that Trigger! Glad me 'n Yui got to him on time!"

Shouto winces again, and worries momentarily that all of Yoarashi's bellowing will render all the sedation they gave the patient useless. He looks over his shoulder and sees that the child is thankfully still asleep.

"Well, I guess we'll visit again when he's doin' better!" the pro says, gesturing for Kodai to follow. Midoriya babbles out something one last time before he giddily follows Todoroki to the OR.

The surgery goes smoothly. As the child is wheeled out to the recovery room, Shouto spots the dark-haired woman standing there, eyeing him as if she wants to talk.

"It might be important. I'll handle Tanuki-chan, Todoroki-kun," Midoriya says brightly, giving Kodai a big smile and a wave that she returns with her blank face. Shouto walks up to her curiously, pulling off his mask along the way.

"I apologize, Todoroki-san," she says with a bow. "I know you must be busy."

"It's all right," he says. He feels his phone vibrate briefly in his pocket, and he wonders if it's Ochako replying to his message from two hours ago. "What do you need me for?"

She stares at him carefully, and then at the surroundings. There aren't many people in the surgical suites at this time, but there are a number of them. Nurses moving about, giving them curious glances and awed smiles and not-so-subtle gapes of the mouth. "I… have things that I need to ask you, specifically."

He tilts his head questioningly.

"It has to do with your family," she says in a conspiratorial low voice.

Odd. There's only one obvious reason why any pro-hero would be interested in his family. "Endeavor, you mean?"

She nods. He gestures for them to walk, letting her lead the way. "Is it urgent?"

Again, she nods, and he has to admit the flash of conflict in her eyes makes him uneasy. She notices and says, "It's urgent for me and my work, but not for you. If you're worried about you or your family being in immediate danger, that's not it. Still, I feel that it's a topic that we have to speak of eventually."

"Is that so."

"Preferably… while sitting down," she says in a tone that doesn't make him worry less. There are many eyes on them, and security cameras. The paging system blares out every now and then, easily overpowering their conversation. "I was hoping to speak with you elsewhere, if you have the time."

She's bringing him to the hotel lobby and presumably out of the hospital, he realizes. "It has to be another time. I'm on call tonight," he tells her, just as they reach the edge of the lobby.

"Oh." She pauses, and takes out her phone. "I apologize. I should have informed you beforehand, Todoroki-san. If I had your number, then-"

He nods and takes out his phone. He manages to read Ochako's message- _work hard, I hope the baby makes it :(-_ plugs in Kodai's number, and gives her a missed call. He eventually decides to type a quick reply to the nurse: _Tanuki-kun made it,_ when he hears Kodai pipe up next to him, "That's Uraraka-san, isn't it?"

He looks up at the direction she points to, and sees her familiar brown hair, bright brown eyes, glowing pink cheeks… focused entirely on a familiar figure with messy dark hair.

Irritation wells from the pit of his stomach.

Before he can stop himself, his feet move to their direction. Kodai glances at him with slight worry and tries to take the lead. She calls out, "Shindo-senpai. Uraraka-san."

It seems that they walk in on the two as they bicker over something. Shouto wonders how close they must be to argue in such a way, and wonders again when he sees Ochako with a box that looks too much like a present. She turns to him and then to Kodai with wide eyes. The guy, however, has a smug smile on his face, like he won a bet.

"Oh… Yui-chan and Todoroki-kun," Shindo says. Shouto doesn't like the little look the other guy gives Ochako as he asks, "You guys done with your little talk?"

Kodai nods. "Our patient is okay. Todoroki-san and Midoriya-san did well."

Shindo gives him a _well-will-you-look-at-that_ look, which somehow looks condescending. He holds out his hand for him to shake. "So I guess that means I should congratulate you, Doc? Yui-chan was _so worried_ about Tanuki-kun. She was pretty happy knowing that you were on board the case and all, ya know?"

He holds out his right hand and wills it not to freeze over, as challenging as it may be at that time. "Thank you. Seismic-san, right?"

He sees Shindo's eyes crease. Whether it's from the biting cold of his hand, or the impersonal way Shouto says his name, he can't say at the time. "Nah, you can call me Shindo. Or, senpai. We didn't go to the same school, but we're both proper heroes, you and I. Uraraka-san calls me that, so I don't mind if you do too."

He really doesn't like the way he says _Uraraka-san._ "Hm," is all he says, giving Ochako a questioning look.

She meets his eyes briefly, and looks down at her hands as if she's embarrassed. His curiosity doesn't wane.

Kodai glances at the two of them with an unreadable look before looking at Shindo again. "Senpai, Yoarashi-san might be wondering where we are right now."

"Ah, you're right." The dark-haired hero makes a show of being embarrassed, gives Ochako another look that is oddly sly under the surface. "Sorry for cutting our conversation off so abruptly, Uraraka-san! I guess we can continue next time, eh?"

"Huh? No, that's-" Ochako stammers. She looks at Shouto as if she's caught. Caught doing what, Shouto wonders briefly, as the other man pushes Kodai out of the lobby and out of sight.

Soon, they disappear in the elevators, leaving the doctor and the nurse alone.

Shouto blinks once and trains his eyes to hers. "You two seem close," he says, fighting to keep his voice even.

She nods, bites her lower lip. "I knew him from high school."

That's new. And suspiciously brief. Shouto wants to tell her that maybe she should have mentioned that the first time they encountered Shindo in the gala. Maybe also should have told Shouto that they're… _that close,_ and that they apparently talk when Shouto isn't there.

"Hm," is all he is able to say to that.

He immediately berates himself for his thoughts, however. Because ultimately, despite their recent closeness, their relationship as friends is mostly shallow, and as lovers, entirely fake. He supposes that they aren't at the stage that she would tell him things about her outside of the little radius of their shared world together in the hospital and fake-dating. It's bothersome, but he doesn't fault her for it.

It's not that he's… jealous, or anything immature like that. It's just that he doesn't like that Shindo person, not one bit. He looks like he has a trick up his sleeve. He has an urge to warn Ochako about him because all his instincts tell him to, but he reminds himself of his place and keeps his mouth shut.

Ochako, strangely, also looks uncomfortable at the events that have just transpired. She looks uneasy when she speaks again. "You and Yui-san."

He blinks, and waits for her to continue.

She takes a deep breath, cheeks quivering slightly as she does so. "I didn't know you guys spoke too. I mean… I'm not, you know-I'm just a little bit surprised, I didn't know she was the pro you were talking about earlier-"

Oh. He should have, right? It might have looked strange that he walked her to the lobby. But he was going to tell her originally about Yoarashi first, and maybe how they worked together briefly when they were teenagers.

Still, Ochako seems more interested in Kodai, so he prepares himself to tell her about the strange conversation they just had. "I should have texted you about her, I suppose," he says quietly. "She went to us right before the surgery to make sure that-"

 _"Paging Dr. Todoroki to ER. Dr. Todoroki, to ER now. Dr. Todoroki-"_

 _Oh. Right. I'm on call._

There's a strange moment where they both open and close their mouths, and look down on the floor at the same time. It's been a while since words are hard to come by between them, and he's a little frustrated.

He should let things go for now. Work comes first. Maybe they can talk better next time. Shouto exhales quietly, and says, "I should go. That might be Dr. Aizawa looking for me. I heard there's been another Nomu attack nearby."

Ochako nods and smiles, albeit a little awkwardly. "Okay. Do your best, Todoroki-kun."

And he's back to being Dr. Todoroki. He sees her hands around that box, sees a childish drawl that reads _For Seismic-sama._ He bites the inside of his cheek, fights to keep his voice neutral. "Okay. Be careful going home, Uraraka."

He knows he shouldn't be irritated, but he is. He forces himself to get his shit together as he makes his way to the ER.

* * *

Shouto never regretted turning his back on pro-heroism in favor of a life in healthcare. Contrary to what Endeavor may say about it though, it isn't "the easy way out".

Everyone knows it's hard work, but not a lot of people realize just how hard. There's the physical strain of going in and out of the operating room so many times a day, sometimes with no food and little sleep and only a minute to close his eyes in between. There's also the intellectual strain of deciding what to do with a grievously injured patient under a time constraint. The emotional strain of speaking to the patients' loved ones, who suffer in a different way. The constant pressure of having to meet the admin's expectations. The victims. The media. The rest of the world.

He doesn't regret doing what he does, because at the end of the day all he wants is to help people. And he tries his best not to let the emptiness and exhaustion catch up to him, but there are days that he's powerless against them. It's not a problem he alone faces. He catches Yaoyorozu sometimes give in to a crying fit in the call room when she deals with a frustrating case. Honenuki too, but oftentimes all he needs is a good massage to sort his head out.

Lately, Shouto has had a lot of those tired, empty days. He knows that talking about them might be good, but he doesn't know who he wants to listen. Still-

 _Ochako (2217H): Say, Shouto. I know this is weird for me to ask, but_

 _Ochako (2218H): Can we talk?_

-has she noticed anything? Strange that she would ask, just when he needs her to. But… maybe she means just texting, as they always do. Which relieves the emptiness somewhat.

 _Ochako (2220H): No, I mean. Like a real talk irl. Over food or sth_

 _Ochako (2221H): I can treat you anywhere u like promise_

Ah. He would really like that.

But at that moment, he's on standby minutes before OR, memorizing how the patient's brain tumor looks like. It looks like it's going to be a hard case. He has two more of this scheduled tomorrow.

He… really, really wants to, but he's tired. Work is a little too much. And…

To be honest, he may be a little afraid of what she wants to talk about. Or what he will say, if he is able to say anything at all. He knows that she's just as tired as he is. Maybe more, because of the pressures of being-with-him-but-not-really. He remembers Shindo, and that little raise of the eyebrow he gave, and all the sneaking suspicions in his head.

 _Ochako (2226H): Oh! Thats totally fine i get wat u mean_

 _Ochako (2228H): so yeah, i guess ill just wait for ur schedule to clear up;; and mine too hahaha_

He doesn't have time to tell her good night because the anesthesiologist, Dr. Kayama, comes in wanting to talk to him about the upcoming case. He switches his phone off, and follows her into the OR suite.

It's already past 2 in the morning when he gets a hold of his phone again. She's sure to be fast asleep and dreaming by this time. He wonders if she fell asleep waiting for his answer.

 _Please be patient with me, Ochako,_ he says quite honestly. He can only hope that she will be.

* * *

Another day, another emergency.

Shouto has been awake and busy for the past thirty or so hours. He's spent the last one struggling to keep his eyes open during a conference. After it's over, Amajiki-senpai finally tells him that he can go home and rest.

It's one of those rare days when he and Ochako get out of their shifts at roughly the same time. It should have been the perfect day to have their "IRL" talk, over tea preferably. But he knows that if he forced it, he'd just end up sleeping in front of her. Or spacing out. Today just isn't the day.

Making sure that Ochako is safe and away from dark-haired stalkers (and dark-haired... _others_ ) is something he has to do no matter what, though. Ironically, it probably isn't very safe to drive, but he forces himself to do it anyway. He buys them cheap convenience store coffee before the short drive, hoping that it would help things somewhat.

It doesn't. Ochako is eerily silent beside him, only speaking up once or twice when he starts dreaming behind the wheel. It's a miracle that they make it to her apartment at all, and in one piece.

This isn't good. His eyelids are so heavy. The coffee is so bitter. The day has been so tiring.

"Are you going to make it home, Doctoroki?"

She's obviously worried. She looks at him as if she's expecting him to drop dead the next moment. Which means that it's a very real possibility. Without her calling out to him, he'd probably have driven himself in a ditch. He attempts a nod and gives her the most awake look he can manage.

She swallows nervously and says, "You can… take a nap inside, if you want to-"

It's obviously the best thing to do now. Ochako is being kind and practical when she offers it to him. There is… probably nothing else behind her request-no malice, no deep affections, just her being a decent human being, making sure that he doesn't die. And to be honest, even if she insists on how small her apartment is, the offer is tempting. She doesn't have to let him use her futon, he'd be quite content snoozing on the floor for the next sixteen hours or so.

Still… there's an odd feeling that Shouto is getting in the way somehow, getting in between Ochako and something else. _Someone else_. A line of fire that he shouldn't aggravate if he wants to maintain the balance in their relationship. It nags him from the possibly irrational back of his mind, and he's too out of it to reason otherwise.

"I'll be okay. I don't want to impose."

She looks at him with very real concern. "I don't want you to get in an accident."

"I won't. Promise." He takes another swig of terrible coffee for the road. Ochako eyes him warily, but says nothing more.

"You can… take a nap _in_ your car, if you need to," she says quietly, unbuckling her seatbelt.

He gives her a tired smile. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll text you when I get home. Or when they pull me out of the wreckage. Either way."

Dark humor, one of his go-to defense mechanisms. Maybe it's too morbid a joke because of how likely it is, although he hopes he jinxes it somewhat. All she is able to do is to laugh nervously.

Eventually, he watches her as she uneasily retreats into her apartment. The drive home is a struggle, but at least the caffeine finally kicks in, and he is able to keep awake until he reaches home. When he does, Shouto sends a photo of his car, parked safely in the garage.

 _Me (1857H): Home. I'll be sleeping in a bit. I'll see you at work tomorrow._

 _Ochako (1858H): thank god!_

 _Ochako (1859H): dont you do that ever again T_T_

 _Me (1902H): Okay. I'm sorry. I won't._

 _Me (1903H): Good night, Ochako._

 _Ochako (1903H): ok, good night!_

He clumsily rolls out his futon, barely managing not to stumble as he does. He goes down with a flop and reaches out to put his phone to silent, when another message comes in.

 _Kodai [Pro] (1903H): Good evening, Todoroki-san. This is Y Agency's Kodai Yui. I hope you are doing well._

 _Kodai [Pro] (1905H): I apologize for the pressure, but the matter that we must discuss has become more urgent._

 _Kodai [Pro] (1904H): I wonder if it's all right to meet with you next week?_

* * *

Shouto barely remembers replying to Kodai at all that evening, but when he reviews his messages the next day, it seems that he agreed to meet her for lunch the following Tuesday.

When the day comes, he gets Yaoyorozu to cover for him. But finishing work on time proves to be difficult. When he makes it to the cafe across the street, he is already fifteen minutes late.

Fortunately, it appears that the pro hasn't been waiting long. She seems to be amusing herself with a matryoshka doll on the counter that looks oddly like a Yaoyorozu original. Doctor's coat on one arm, he reaches out to tap her on the shoulder.

She looks at him, the small smile on her face shifting immediately to a more business-like neutral face. "Good afternoon, Todoroki-san. Are you all right?"

"Yes," he says, even as he catches his breath. The cafe is busy, with people staring at them from all directions. He doesn't pay them any attention. He doesn't have the time. "I'm sorry Kodai, I can only spare an hour."

"Of course. My apologies," she says. She gestures for a seat at the far corner-a spot a little far from the others, no doubt so no-one can eavesdrop. He follows her, and so does the blonde barista, who places two coffee mugs in front of them and leaves immediately.

Once they settle down, Kodai wastes no time in speaking. "Todoroki-san, I understand that you have a very brief experience of pro-hero work," she says, without the usual hesitation that people seem to have when bringing up the past with him. "I would like to know if you have been involved in private investigations before."

He appreciates the no-nonsense approach she has. He decides to answer her as honestly as he can. "Private investigations. You mean those not involving the NPA, but private hero agencies only?"

"Yes."

"No," he replies. "I was Endeavor's sidekick when I resigned. He tends to work very closely with the police rather than not. And during my very short career, I only did patrols and two rescues."

One of them ending terribly. It's obvious that she's up to date though, with the sympathetic way her eyebrows crunch together.

"... all right," she says, with a thoughtful pause. "Still, I trust that you still remember the cases in which heroes are allowed to conduct private investigations."

He nods. There are limited circumstances where heroes are allowed to snoop around on their own without police supervision at the start. Basically, those circumstances that deal with quirk-related crimes, that tend to involve particularly violent villains, particularly violent pros-gone-rogue, and/or particularly violent vigilantes. "Which one are you investigating?"

"The Naruhata Vigilantes," she answers without hesitation. She must be sure that there isn't anyone interested enough in their conversation then, for her to answer so confidently. "Do you know anything about them at all, Todoroki-san?"

He shakes his head. He doesn't have time to be updated of the news. All he knows is that there are many villains, releasing Nomu at random and increasing civilian casualties.

"I see," Kodai says thoughtfully. "The ones we are investigating are self-styled heroes in what is admittedly a crime-riddled, densely populated area. While they are affecting the crime rate positively in that area, we pay special attention to them due to the destructive potential of their quirks."

Shouto nods. Dealing with vigilantes has been the topic of debate for decades, ever since the demarcation between them and heroes was set into place. The current consensus is to treat them as villains, despite the good they do, because who can trust any powerful man who has no-one to answer to? Good or not? Besides, today's vigilante can prove to be tomorrow's villain. Human motivations can be so fickle.

"There are a handful of them-about three or four individuals, give or take, who are well-known enough to warrant the attention of the civilians of that area. One of them in particular is of special interest to me and my team." She pauses again and looks right at him. He briefly senses the conflict in her eyes, flickering like a lamp. "And… perhaps to you, as well."

He doesn't feel any less uneasy. "Why?"

She inhales, seemingly makes an effort to arrange her words in her head. "We have reason to believe that… that one of the more prominent vigilantes in that area is related to the pro-hero Endeavor, somehow." Her fingers entwine in front of her, a little anxiously if Shouto were to guess. "I can't tell you the full details of how we came to that conclusion, however."

He can guess the reasons why-either her team knows too little, or knows too much. And implicating the involvement of Endeavor, the number one hero of Japan, in any crime is obviously not wise unless they have just enough information.

He wonders how they come to that conclusion, though. Endeavor is capable of many cruel things, but as far as Shouto knows, no-one else knows about the most cruel of them apart from his immediate family.

(That, and a previous investigation team, sworn to secrecy after Mom changed her mind about exposing everything. But the head of that team would never betray their trust…)

"I don't understand why you would approach me about this. Especially if it's more about Endeavor than the rest of us," he tells her with the straightest face he can muster. Tries to ignore the quiet anxiety boiling at the pit of his stomach. "I doubt that I am able to help you in any way."

"That's what I'm here to find out. I know you will be uncomfortable in talking about this," she says with an apologetic tone. "And I understand. For your family though, this might be important."

"... I see." He mulls this over in his head. Logically, there's no way their private family matters would be linked to those vigilantes in Naruhata. He can't think of any way the two things are related, but if they are...

No, they can't be. It's impossible. Right? There's no way that Touya-nii...

He decides that if her questions become too strange, he can refuse to answer them. He has that right, at least. "All right. I'll cooperate."

"Okay." There's an odd look in her eyes as she stares him down, already in an interrogatory mode. "Before we begin, I have an odd request, Todoroki-san."

Her hands come down on the surface of the table when she says, "I want to hold your hand."

He freezes and gives her an odd look.

"Please, indulge me," is all she says as an explanation. When he doesn't move, one of her hands quickly make its way on top of his right hand, strangely cold and impersonal when their skin makes contact. The sensation is so strange, it makes him more curious than anything, and he doesn't pull back.

Her dark eyes lock onto his, an almost-threatening glow behind them.

"Todoroki-san… are you related to a vigilante named Dabi?"

Her voice is so low that he hardly hears it. But he does, and in a word, he's… perplexed.

"... no. Not to my knowledge," he answers honestly.

Her mouth twists almost imperceptibly.

"I've never even heard of that name before," he adds, with an incredulous tone in his voice.

"Hm," she says, not letting her gaze waver. "How about the Pyromancer? An individual known for very powerful, high-temperature flames, hotter than even the most seasoned fire-quirk users are able to manage."

Her right hand fishes out a photo from one of her files-one that is blurry, but with some decipherable details. Shouto sees jet-black hair, black clothes, bright blue flames covering his exposed burnt skin and about five meters of the immediate area surrounding him. His eyes look blue, but it's hard to tell with all the blue around him. He seems to be glaring at something above them as he hangs in mid-air, leaping off a rooftop which might be in the Naruhata district.

He shakes his head. A consistent blue flame is very difficult to achieve. Shouto has only managed that briefly when he was a UA student, and it was so hot he passed out and had a high-grade fever for a week. Even Endeavor isn't able to manage that. Not without excruciating pain, at least.

He feels Kodai's hand twitch very slightly above his. With the most clinical tone she can manage, she asks, after a beat of silence: "Do you think this individual can be Todoroki Touya?"

He flinches at the name. Snaps his eyes to hers. Feels the change come over him, feels the cold in his eyes but steadies himself on time.

 _That person cannot be Touya-nii_. Endeavor doesn't say much about his oldest brother, except for the fact that his constitution is too much like Mom's. A constitution that cannot handle high heat.

And most of all… His brother has flaming red hair and cold pale skin and a mischievous, but kind smile. His fire is warm and red and controlled. Not dangerous and wild, like this one.

Kodai stares at their point of contact for a short moment. Lifts her hand, rubs her fingers together. "Hm. It's not cold at all," she mutters under her breath.

He realizes, then, that she made that strange request to see if his hand gets cold, as it does when he's under emotional distress. As he has demonstrated and she most likely witnessed when he and Ochako encountered Endeavor, ages ago in the Pro-Heroes Gala.

Suddenly, things make more sense to him-why Kodai agreed to escort him in that gala, before he managed to get Ochako to go with him instead. Why she seemed oddly interested enough to help him out when they got in trouble. Why there's absolutely no effort from her agency to dispel the rumors of her supposed romantic interest in him. All of them concerted efforts to get closer to him, and to Endeavor, and possibly to this Dabi person whom Shouto has never heard of before.

As quickly as it came, though, the discerning glare in Kodai's eyes dies down, and she's back to her dark-eyed, blank-slate state. She bows her head, ever polite and proper. "Well… despite this, this is still an important finding in our investigation. I apologize for taking up your time, Todoroki-san."

He knows she's just doing her job earnestly. But the fact that she was willing to _use_ him to get close to Endeavor is disorienting. "No, it's fine," he manages to say.

She bows again. "I understand any feelings of distrust you may have for me and my team at this moment. Nevertheless, I hope for your cooperation once more should the need arise."

He doesn't know how to feel about this yet. It's not Touya. Can't be. But it just means that Touya is still missing.

Still dead, in other words.

He exhales tiredly when Kodai keeps her eyes on the table between them.

Soon, his hour is up. He apologizes and moves to leave. She ends up doing the same, shaking his hand one last time before they walk out of the cafe.

Outside, he sees two people waiting for her-Fukidashi, the fellow with a speech balloon for a head, who recognizes him and goes ~ヾ(＾∇＾), making the whole tense exchange that just passed feel rather anticlimactic.

The other one, a guy with dark brown hair, dark eyes, a permanent scowl, and a professional camera around his neck, regards Shouto with barely concealed suspicion. The man's glare on him doesn't leave, not until Kodai leans in close and murmurs something he doesn't decipher.

He pays no further attention to the odd trio as he crosses the street and gets back to work.

* * *

 _Me (1829H): Are you all right, Ochako?_

 _Ochako (1830H): yeah i am_

 _Me (1831H): You sure?_

 _Me (1832H): Please be honest with me_

 _Me (1832H): Whatever is bothering you, I'd like to know. I'd like to help._

 _Ochako (1834H): Doctoroki_

 _Ochako (1837H): Shouto, I mean_

 _Ochako (1838H): When should we break up?_

 _Ochako (1850H): Sorry for asking so suddenly_

 _Ochako (1851H): i just… felt like maybe, its about time we talked about it_

 _Me (1853H): I see._

 _Ochako (1854H): I mean we cant fake date forever_

 _Ochako (1855H): not that i aint wanna help u anymore_

 _Ochako (1856H): i jsut want to know when its time to do it. If its soon or if u want to go on and all._

 _Ochako (1857H): if theres a reason y we gotta do this. Any other reason to keep pretending_

 _Ochako (1858H): like. Do we need to meet ur family or the press or whatever. Is there another grand party where u need a fake girlfriend. Anything like that at all. Or is there nothing else_

 _Me (1859H): Ochako_

 _Ochako (1900H): cos if there is, of course ill do my best for u… i mean i promised to be there for u, because u need me. So no one gets hurt right?_

 _Ochako (1901H): just that… i gues m a lil lost haha. kinda confusd bout wat i stil need to do for u_

 _Ochako (1902H): ah sorry for ramblin shouto. ? u were saying_

 _Me (1905H): I think this is something we have to talk about in person._

 _Ochako (1906H): oh… but uve been so bsy_

 _Ochako (1907H): me too tbh…_

 _Me (1909H): I know. I'm really sorry about that_

 _Me (1910H): It's just that, I feel that we have to talk about these things face-to-face._

 _Me (1911H): You seem troubled, and I'm a little concerned._

 _Ochako (1912H): oh no im fine n dandy hahaha_

 _Ochako (1913H): just. Real tired prolly. Real confused. Things aint easy on my end either._

 _Me (1915H): I understand._

 _Me (1916H): Let's speak tomorrow. No matter what happens._

 _Ochako (1918H): … okay_

 _Ochako (1919H): ill see u 2m._

 _Me (1920H): Okay._

 _Ochako (1943H): Okay._

 _Ochako (1945H): Thank you, Shouto. For understanding._

 _Me (2117H): Good night, Ochako._

* * *

Ochako finishes first and decides to wait for him at a nearby park. The sky is already dark and the moon high by the time he rushes there. He sees his breath in front of him when he runs to the bench where she sits, hands stuffed in a bright pink hoodie, still dressed in her scrubs and rubber shoes.

"I'm sorry," he says, as he catches his breath. "Have you been waiting long?"

She shakes her head, but the tired smile that she gives him tells otherwise. She shifts in her seat slightly, making room for him on the bench.

He falls next to her and looks at her carefully. She doesn't immediately say anything back, and instead watches the people moving along the walkway in front of them. Her face is completely still, but her hands are twisting on her lap, as if she's gathering all her courage to speak.

He wonders briefly why she would need courage when she's with him. What does she want to say that warrants such anxiety?

"Shouto," she says, after what seems like an eternity.

He turns his head to face her. Her brown eyes are heavy and downcast, shimmering prettily yet forebodingly under the lamplights like fire glowing underwater.

The moments before she speaks are just as heavy. "Do you think… that we're holding each other back?"

He clasps his unsure hands in front of him slowly, hot meeting cold, as he seriously ponders the question. And the reason behind it.

"I don't know," he answers, after a beat of silence.

"... I… think we do." He hears her exhale, feels the slight tumult in the air in front of them. "I'm sorry for being like this, Shouto. I haven't been honest with you, not at all. The truth is…"

He holds his breath, and he hears her hold hers too, when she braces herself to say it. His anxious brain fills the blanks between them:

 _I find you troublesome. I think you and your family and your scars and your history are too much for someone like me. Your burdens are too much for me to handle._

 _I'm in-love with someone else. I want to be with someone else. I can't, if you're here._

 _I've been holding myself back, because of you. Because of what you made me do._

 _I can't do this anymore._

She isn't speaking yet, but those words in her voice fill his head, stabbing him from the inside out like knives. He takes a deep breath and steadies himself and his shaking hand. Frost begins to form at the very ends of his fingertips, under his nails.

He hides this under his coat.

"... I'm having such a hard time," she finally says. There's a catch in her voice that makes him jolt, makes his left hand shoot out from his pockets and onto her back. She doesn't pull away, but she hides her eyes behind her hands and shrinks herself in her hoodie. "Work is so hard. _Everything_ is so hard. Dealing with people who think I'm no good for you is hard, too. They think I'm… I'm holding you back, and they're probably right, because really, what can a girl like me do for someone like you?"

She continues to hide herself behind her hands. Shouto, without knowing what else to do or what words to say, instinctively puts both arms around her and holds her close.

Ochako presses her face into his coat. He feels the hot dampness of her tears seep through and burn his skin. "I'm also… so confused, Shouto… Ma and Pa love you… and Rei-san and Fuyumi-nee and Natsuo-nii, just… I feel so bad lying to them, I really don't know what to do-"

Guilt eats him from the inside out, but he doesn't let her go. Actively forcing the frost off his fingers, he warms himself and rubs comforting circles around her back. She continues to shake in his arms.

 _I don't know what to do either,_ he wants to say. The words die in his mouth, though. He's too afraid to voice it out, though. Too afraid to admit that he broke his promise of no-one getting hurt.

Instead, he says, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

Because Ochako got hurt because of him, and he didn't even notice.

She sniffles, lets out a sob that sounds like "No, don't say that, you keep saying that, but-"

"Yes, it is." He pulls apart from her slightly, just enough that he can put his warm hand under her chin to lift it up. He meets her hazy brown eyes, sees the droplets of tears trail down her soft, pink cheeks.

She's a little surprised at his action, but he doesn't let her look away. "Ochako… I'm so sorry."

 _If I had just faced my problems on my own-if I had the good sense of not dragging you down with me-_

"If I never had that stupid idea of making you go with me to the gala… If I never made you pretend-"

 _If I never made you pretend to love me_

"... you didn't have to go through this. I'm so sorry."

She bites her lower lip and looks into his eyes quietly. "I'm the weak one, Shouto… I'm the one who got carried away. I mean… It's stupid," she says, letting a noise that's somewhere between a laugh and a choking sob escape from her mouth. "I keep telling myself that it's not a big deal, that none of this is real. That it should be easy to go back to feeling nothing for you, but…"

She stops mid-sentence, her mouth and eyes wide open in disbelief of the words that escaped from her, seemingly without consent. Then, her eyes go to his, and he sees fear and shame and a mess of other emotions, brimming to the edge with a new wave of tears-

"Don't," he says, in a voice so low and heavy that he almost doesn't hear it himself.

Ochako pales and moves to look away, but he holds her in place. Holds her closer, so close that he breathes in her shaky breath in his lungs, smells the cherry blossom scent of her hair, feels the heat of the blood flowing in her veins.

"Please, Ochako," he rasps in her ear, shameless and desperate because he has no other choice. He doesn't want to lose her. "Please don't go back to feeling nothing for me."

 _Because I won't be able to._

He feels her whimper in his chest. Slowly, she pulls back, the look of disbelief never leaving her face. "Shouto," she whispers in a breath that stills his heart.

He loosens his grip on his self control and dips his face closer to hers.

At first, he isn't sure what is happening. He can't quite believe that his lips are on hers and his hands are on her face their noses are colliding. His senses jolt and break and come back together with each new sensation, when the sharpness of her breath reaches his ears and the softness of her fingerpads thread through his hair, and the warmth of her body fights against his coldness.

 _This is real,_ he thinks, as they pull back to breathe and she gasps in his arms and throws her arms around his neck to kiss him again. _She's here, really here, with me._

Ochako is here, and she's in Shouto's arms, and she's moaning against his lips like she belongs there, like she always has. He returns all of it, holds her close to him, afraid that if he ever lets go she'll slip away from his grasp and disappear for good.

Eventually they become breathless, and their lips reluctantly separate with a pop. Ochako looks up at him with those wide brown eyes, and he knows he's lost forever.

"I think you just made that impossible, Todoroki Shouto," she says, with a mischievous smile that betrays the puffiness of her eyes.

Shouto returns the smile, and presses his lips one more time against hers. God, he doesn't think he'll get enough of that.

He might try, though, once they leave the park and make their way to his home, in a punch-drunk rush.

* * *

 **AN:** so. the rating will increase in the next chapter. hahahaha hahhhhhhhh

this chapter surprisingly mostly typed itself? a lot of shouto's feelings in the middle of the chapter feels biographical hahahaa. and in general i've been lookin forward to writing yui's part of the story, because she and unnamed surly camera man (haha jk it's obvs sen, it's been sen all along friends) are the stars of the 3rd part of this series! and im just. really excited to write that story too because i just really love 1B okay and i'll write for them even if very few people will read it hahaha

As for these two... i wonder if they really should have made out like that... because if you think they've already resolved shit... I'm sorry. They haven't yet T_T There will be struggles coming up so. Prepare thyself~


	9. Are You Doing What You Have To Do

**Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea  
** Chapter 8: Are You Doing What You Have To Do

 _AN: mature stuff up ahead. This is where the rating goes up!_

* * *

She remembers how the warm vending machine coffee tin in her hand steadily cools and freezes in her hand, against the chill of the night air. A full moon, and Saturn above it. She sits on the curb, a heavy book bag filled with nursing references next to her.

He stands behind her at an arm's length, leaning against the lamp post with his hands stuffed in his pockets. She feels his stare, light and unaffected, feels the usual lazy smile on his face burning on the skin of the nape of her neck.

What a waste of a beautiful night.

"Chako-chan, come on, don't look like that." He sounds the same, _infuriatingly_ the same as always. Like he didn't just ruin all their plans and humiliate her and break her heart.

Like he did absolutely nothing. "We were going to split up eventually." She knows he's shrugging, knows that not even a single muscle on his face twitches as he speaks. "I thought it was stupid to prolong the agony."

She'd laugh, but her eyes are stinging and she knew that she'd bawl if she opened her mouth without bracing herself. "Yocchan, what's stupid is you not even _trying_ to stay with me."

For a person who's so good at fighting, he isn't very good at fighting to keep her at his side.

He exhales in frustration. "We talked about this over and over-" He uses that tone again, they're going to argue about the same shitty thing again and neither of them will listen to each other and Ochako's tired before it even begins. "It's impossible for us to stay together if we want to chase after what we want! I mean, I'm a sidekick now, Chako, you _know_ how hard it is to make time for myself as it is-"

She wouldn't know, because he doesn't answer her calls, texts, emails, nothing. She sees him more on TV with reporters and fans who assume that he's single. He talks a lot, but they don't talk anymore.

"-and I see you work so hard to help so many people one day. I can't get in the way of that…"

She fuckin' knows it, she knows how hard she works, how she's stretched thin from studying and doing part-time work to pay her own tuition and living expenses. She hates like he says it like she doesn't. She went in this field because she thought she wanted to give her parents a comfortable life. But it's more than that now. She genuinely wants to help people, like he does.

They want the same thing, but he thinks that they're on different pages entirely. It's frustrating. "So do you think we're holding each other back?"

 _Am_ I _holding you back?_

He doesn't answer, and he doesn't need to. She concentrates on keeping her breathing even.

She hears him move behind her. He falls next to her on that dirty curb. She feels his eyes on her as she keeps hers away from his, concentrates on the cool glow of Saturn overhead. Her mouth quivers when he turns her head to face him.

Has his smile always looked like this? Warm and dashing, but doesn't quite reach his dark eyes? Has he always looked this… far away?

"Ochako," he says in a low voice she barely hears from her orbit. "I'll… love you forever, okay? I really will."

He probably kisses her for the last time. Or he doesn't. It's entirely possible that he stands and leaves her on that curb, in the cold night with cold coffee in her hands, quietly and without another glance. It's a memory from far too long ago, and it's highly likely that a lot of it happened differently. Ochako could do to forget about it a little more.

But it's too hard to forget the hollow in her heart that she feels that night despite the anger and emptiness, precisely because she thinks the same-she'll probably love him forever too.

She isn't always angry and bitter after that-there are pretty girls and pretty boys that helped her forget, good people who made her genuinely smile and frown and laugh and cry, many memories that she wouldn't trade for the world.

Yet, she doesn't ever remember trying to fill that hollow in her chest in the years that follow.

* * *

She sees Saturn again from her cold and lonely seat in the park bench that night, and briefly through Shouto's window when he allows her to push him through the door with her hungry mouth on his.

There's no words left to speak when she tugs off his coat in haste and sneaks her hands underneath his shirt to feel his skin. She feels the cold on his right, the warmth over his left and the thrum of his heart underneath. The contrast makes her dizzy, the broadness and hardness of his torso even more so. She can't help but run her fingers appreciatively over him, can't help but giggle when he gasps at the scratch of her fingernails.

Her hands curl around him, run all over his back where the dragons are. Fierce, powerful. She can trace the outlines of the flame and glaciers and the scales as her fingerpads trace his skin.

His eyes flutter closed as he allows her to trace them. His muscles move under her hands, the sensation very enticing.

Ah, she really wants her hands all over him. It's a struggle to keep her pinky up when her body screams at all of her to make as much contact as possible.

She starts unbuttoning his shirt in a haze, pulling it off him so impatiently that she might have sent buttons flying all over the tatami. He also somehow works her hoodie and scrub top off of her, through grunts and gasps and hurried motions that might seem funny if they weren't so delirious.

When his hands are on her again, she hisses at the sting of both hot and cold on the bare skin of her waist.

He lets her go. The air between his palms and her skin is too far. "Is this too much? I'm-"

"No," she breathes. Places both hands on her-so big, she thinks, he's so much bigger than her, even her waist feels small in his hands. "Keep your hands on me. I like it."

He looks at her with heavy-lidded eyes, and descends on her mouth with much more fervor than she thinks is possible. She moans against his mouth when he activates his quirk on her a little more gently this time. She doesn't know what her body wants to feel, when half of it is covered in goosebumps and the other screams red.

But at least the overload of sensations is just enough to numb the feeling inside.

She's lifted in the next moment. Her arms go around his neck and her legs go around his torso. She feels how strong the former pro hero is as he barely struggles with all her weight on him, as he carries her across his apartment and into his bedroom.

He lays her down gently on a messy futon that he probably left unrolled from a busy morning. She sinks in its softness and his scent, although she wishes that he were a little rougher on her. Her blood aches for a lot of pressure, pain even. She bites his lower lip to goad him on, earning her a surprised moan.

"Ochako." His voice is so deep she feels like drowning. "I…"

She swallows his words down with another kiss. No more words. "You can do whatever you want," she breathes, looking right into his eyes.

His Adam's apple bobs with a thoughtful swallow. "Are you sure?"

She nods and nibbles at his collarbone. She's going to do whatever she wants too, and she hopes he understands.

Carefully, his hands trail up her stomach, her chest, her bare shoulders. She shudders at the lines of warmth and cold that he traces under nimble finger tips, that curl around her back to unhook her bra and pull it down. He peppers kisses along her jaw, the side of her neck, her collarbone, the swell of her breast. Her breath shallows and hastens as he goes lower and lower, stopping at the waistband of her pants.

"Tell me to stop anytime and I will," he whispers clearly, with eyes that are both searing and soft and careful.

His cold hand remains over her left breast, squeezes it appreciatively. All she's able to manage is an affirmative whimper.

He smiles, and pulls her pants and underwear down in one go.

The cool air hits her nakedness all at once. She doesn't have a lot of mindfulness left to be embarrassed to be completely undressed in front of Todoroki Shouto for the first time. Still, the weight of his gaze on her- _all of her,_ including the parts of her carefully tucked away and shaped and hidden underneath her clothing-she swears there's a palpable heat where his eyes land on her skin.

"Beautiful," she hears him whisper from above her.

That single word causes a spike of heat in her bloodstream. She blushes furiously, muttering, "N… no, don't say stuff like…"

"Hm?" His hum comes out as a purr when he leans down to nuzzle into her neck again. She feels his lips curl against her skin. "Why not?"

"Because- _hm-_ " It's hard to go on a body conscious rant when that pretty mouth of his is on her, all over her, the trail going lower, lower. "You're the pretty one between us, Shouto, and I'm just- _ahh-_ "

He _bit_ her, oh my god. He suckles on the offended spot on her chest, eyes on her and glinting excitedly. "Just…?"

"Just…" God, what is she saying again? Words are suddenly meaningless, not when his warm hand snakes down between them, below her, hovering over her core. Another _ahh_ escapes her as he traces a line up and down her entrance, palm pressing over her sensitive nub.

"I don't understand, Ochako." She knows by now that he knows how to tease, but it always catches her off-guard when he does. "Everything about you is beautiful. Your eyes. Your cheeks. Your neck. Your breasts, your belly… your thighs… this little astronaut here-you got me ever since I saw this-"

He presses soft kisses over those places as he says them, and oh god she won't have enough oxygen in her lungs to listen to him list down all her body parts. He pays extra attention to the little tattoo, nibbles it a little even, as if paying tribute to the pesky thing that spurred all of this on.

She giggles, then groans when his mouth continues to explore her skin.

He descends and crouches in front of her, arms hooked around her thighs. He takes his time kissing the soft, inner surface, squeezes the muscles there appreciatively. She gasps for the nth time, amazed at the sight of him kneeling before her like he's praying in church, worshiping her body.

"Sh-Shou-"

She doesn't finish saying his name when she feels his tongue on her.

"Oh god," she gasps. The feel of his tongue is insanely good. She feels him play with the temperature of his mouth and his breath as he eats her out. Sometimes searing hot, with puffs of cold, and the shock of all the sensations drive her mad. She can't help but grind her hips against his face. At this rate it won't take too long before she unravels-she bites her fingers, tries to keep herself in control-

She isn't able to, and soon her body shudders and she's seeing stars and she's moaning his name over and over. She's been eaten out before, but she's sure it doesn't feel as good as it did just then. She breathes like she held her breath the entire time. "Shouto, that was good, so good…"

He smiles in satisfaction, crawls forward and kisses her full on the mouth. She tastes herself in his mouth-an odd sensation she doesn't usually like, but she craves his mouth, craves the sting of heat and cold, craves that sensory onslaught-

 _Make it numb-_

Her head is going down from the high, and already she's craving for the next one. She gives in to the surge of courage and desperation. She rolls them over so that he's flat on his back and she's straddling his hips. With a surprised gasp, Shouto looks up at her with wide eyes.

"Ochako-"

She drowns his words again with another kiss. "I want you to feel good too…"

He chuckles beneath her as she unbuttons his fly. "You're impatient tonight." He kisses her back sweetly all the same and allows her to pull off his pants all the same.

He has no idea. She's terrible for using him like this. When she draws out a sound of pleasure from him with the touch of her hand, a very small twinge in her chest makes itself known. She ignores it and lets it fade, because she's good at that, and instead focuses on giving Todoroki Shouto head, because she knows she's also good at that.

It's so easy to forget those feelings of guilt when she watches his beautiful face contort in pleasure, watch urgent breaths and gasps flow and fall within that talented mouth. Her tongue swirls around the head, making him groan out her name.

"You're beautiful," he repeats, making her heart throb wildly in her chest. "So beautiful taking me in your mouth, damn-"

She hums. Never has a word-a profanity, of all things-hit her veins like a bullet, make her entire body shudder in excitement. And he says it so quietly, like he stumbles over the word and the debauched part of him that enjoys it.

She loves the way it sounds. She's surprised by it, because who would have thought that hearing Todoroki Shouto, this absolute demigod descended upon the earth, curse like a heathen just from the play of her tongue-

"Fuck, that's so good-" A little louder now. A little more wrecked. More, Ochako wants to hear more of that.

It goads her on even further, not meaning to stop until he comes, but soon he stops her with his hands on her cheeks and motions for her to go up to him.

She obliges, kisses him on the mouth again. He returns it languidly at first, stutters against her mouth when she presses and slides her dripping core against his length. She lifts her head and smiles smugly at the way his eyes roll upward.

"Do you like that?" The sweet pressure against her entrance is simultaneously too much and not enough. Gods, isn't it about time to go all the way? She begins to align her hips to his hardness almost mindlessly. She feels Shouto's burning grip on her hips and she loves how she's sure of the marks that'll be there in the morning.

"Wait," he says. His cold hand leaves her to reach out for a drawer, almost out of his reach. It's a struggle, but he eventually finds what he's looking for. "If you do that, I might not be able to stop myself, so…"

Ah, did she really almost let him in without a condom? How starved is she that she would be so careless?

The moments when he covers himself is short, but it's enough to make her aware of that twinge in her chest, and it's unbearable. It's so that when he's done, she moves in immediately. They gasp in unison as she sinks to the hilt slowly, steadily.

Oh, _god,_ she didn't think he'd fit-she feels filled past her limit, she feels like she's about to split open. Her mouth hangs open as she catches her breath, and barely feels Shouto's hands on her shoulders, steadying her.

"Are you all right?"

Sapphire and onyx focus on her, brows furrowed in concern.

It hurts. Just a little, but she needs this. She nods, gives him a smile and another kiss, as a response. "I'm all right, dear… it feels good, it does, it does-"

She lifts as she slurs out the words. Shouto moans a little louder-she isn't sure if it's with the way her body rises and sinks down, over and over, or if it's how the word _dear_ slips out of her mouth.

A rhythm is soon set in place. The sounds of their mouths and tongues colliding is absolutely lewd, the sound of her wetness moving up and down his length even more so. His head falls on her shoulder. (Is this really him holding onto her body for dear life?) His hands are back on her waist, assisting her, goading her to move faster, faster-

"Ochako- _fuck,_ it's so good… so tight-"

She never imagined Shouto to be so vocal, so fuckin' vulgar. She moves her hips a certain way, and she's treated to the sound of this perfect and poised and composed man cursing over and over, on the verge of losing control. Seeing him gripping his inhibitions so loosely spurs her on and on. She wants to give him all that she can just to see how far he would let go.

(It makes her feel a little worse-she's such a _user_ , she shouldn't, she really shouldn't, but…)

His voice fills her head like a mantra, hypnotizing her, urging her closer and closer and closer-

"I never thought you would-with me- _fuck,_ you're so good, you feel so good-"

That worship and that slip of the tongue feels so right, even though she doesn't deserve it. It doesn't take long before her body clenches around him, and his name escapes from her in a strangled cry. She feels him stiffen inside her soon after, thrusting up at her erratically as he moans her name.

He kisses her again as if he'll never get sick of it, hands cupping her cheeks tenderly. He pulls out soon after, letting her roll to the futon.

The bed feels unbearably empty when he excuses himself to throw the condom away. It isn't even that long, and Ochako feels stupid that she feels so sad, so cold when his weight isn't on the futon.

He comes back eventually with mittens from the kitchen, which makes her snort indignantly. When he puts his arms around her and spoons her, she doesn't feel as sad or as stupid, but…

"Ochako," Shouto mutters low in her ear. "You can stay the night, if you want to."

"I could?"

He hums-ah, she loves the sound of that, loves the rumble that goes all over her body. "... not just tonight either. Just say the word. I'll get you all the mittens you want."

She can't help the dumb smile on her face. She turns to face him, meets the tiny, genuine smile on his face. What a sight. "I'd like that."

"Mm." The blanket that covers them is warm. Shouto is warm. He's all around her, as he should be. It feels like heaven. His eyes close as he holds her closer.

But...

The sound of his quiet breath isn't loud enough to calm the turmoil in her heart.

* * *

Past midnight, Shouto's eyes are wide open.

Ochako snoozes beside him, snoring softly. Chestnut hair falling over her face, one round cheek squished against his pillows. Hands in his comically oversized mittens sprawled above her head. At some point, she turned away from him, her back pressing against his chest.

He stares at the creamy expanse of her back. The mole he found ages ago is still there, amongst the sparse smattering of freckles, in the shallow valley along her spine right where he remembers it would be.

Without thinking about it, he bends over to press his lips over it.

She sighs in her sleep upon the contact.

He smiles. This is nice. Sleeping in one futon is nice. As is being able to kiss Uraraka Ochako as much as this.

It's strange. He hasn't dated anyone seriously before for many reasons, but this isn't the first time he was intimate with anyone. Those warm bodies and messy one-night stands are regrettably forgettable though. He doesn't remember feeling elated or the opposite about them.

But this… he knows that he'll remember this night for a long time.

(He convinces himself that it's not a bad thing.)

He wants to kiss her again. He knows he's never felt that way about another person before. He wants to hold her close, have his mouth on hers, wants to drown in the cherry blossom scent of her hair. Wants to look in those warm brown eyes, looking up at him and all over him.

(Her eyes.)

Something beats in his chest like a warning. He remembers clearly when he thinks about Ochako's eyes-how turbulent and cloudy they were, how anxious, how impatient. Like she can't keep her hands off him because she can't stand not using her body like she did.

It's… concerning. But she didn't seem interested in talking about it, and he didn't have the will or the power to keep her away anymore. It's probably illogical to feel like this new closeness of theirs actually pushed them farther apart.

It's even more illogical how afraid he feels suddenly that he'll lose her like this.

No… he won't lose her. Why would he? They wanted each other equally. The moment called for them to be closer. All of it felt right.

(Except, that look in her eyes, didn't that feel wrong?)

He wonders if he should have stopped it.

(He wonders again, if he could have. He's dreamed of having her in his arms for some time now, he realizes, and not only because she's obliged to do it for other people.)

Maybe he's worrying for nothing. Maybe he's looking too much into it while things are falling neatly in place for them. Maybe, just this once, things are working out of them both.

Well. All he knows he should still ask her about it, when she wakes up.

Just in case he's wrong, though, he ought to keep her close to him. Let himself memorize the way her small body presses against his, with all its enticing curves and slopes and warmth and sweetness.

He knows that he'll miss all this in the morning, when they need to wake up.

* * *

And he does, when the sun rises and hits him in the eye, and the incessant buzzing of a phone cuts into his dream like the edge of a blunt knife.

Not removing himself from Ochako's side, he gropes blindly for the offensive device on the tatami above their heads. His hand lands on it as it vibrates, and with bleary eyes he tries to process what he's seeing.

First thing he realizes is that it's not his phone. It's a particularly old model, one that does not need fingerprint recognition to be unlocked.

Next thing is that it's probably Ochako's phone, because logically there's no-one else who could own it, and also because the lock screen features her swollen arm with a partially-coloured Saturn tattooed on it.

And finally, the last thing he learns, as his bleary eyes adjust to the brightness of the phone and his mind partially lifts from its fog: It's 0601H, and the phone has been buzzing since 0530H, when the first of five messages came in.

All of them from one person.

 _Shindo Yo (0530H): morning sleepyhead ヾ_ _(￣_ _0￣_ _)ノ_

 _Shindo Yo (0533H): Hope u rly wake up soon, said u got a morning shift today (read more)_

 _Shindo Yo (0542H): u didn't message me lst nite T_T is it because i said u looked like a squirrel and (read more)_

 _Shindo Yo (0545H): i remembered u last night during my patrol! i helped out a granny with round cheeks like… (read more)_

 _Shindo Yo (0600H): ill tell u all about it when u wake up ＼_ _(o￣∇￣_ _o)/❀ヅ❤_

He rubs his eyes, trying to make sense of the messages, and not only because of all the shortcuts.

Shindo Yo. _Shindo Yo._ It takes him a while, but when it does, the messy dark hair and smug face and sneaky dark eyes come to surface, and his morning is immediately ruined.

The phone buzzes again with a chime, as another message comes in- _wake up already ur gonna be l8 for work again-_ and this time Ochako stirs with the sound, one mittened hand blindly groping the floor around her.

"Hnn… shut up, I'm awake you noisy idiot," she mutters, as her mitten keeps meeting empty floor.

He stares at her, and the phone in his hand, still in danger of freezing over in his palm. Without another word, he places it on the floor above her quietly, facedown.

Eventually, one mitten finds it. She takes the phone clumsily, tries to unlock the phone before she realizes that the touch screen can't recognize her mittened thumb. Awfully, unfairly cute. Shouto would have teased her for it, if he weren't so irritated.

She is awfully silent, staring at her phone and focusing on those annoying messages, like it takes her a while to decipher them as well. Over her shoulder, Shouto sees more cutesy kaomoji littering the screen. How anyone understands anything like that without having a headache from sensory overload is beyond him.

Still… Ochako thinks about it, and types a message back.

And all at once, Shouto remembers his place.

She isn't supposed to be here. She's supposed to be at her apartment, waking up in a bed alone. Or… someone else who isn't him. Not him. Not like this, vulnerable and confused and conflicted.

He's wrong about everything.

The message is too small and brief for him to read. He wonders what she tells him. Did she tell him _good morning_ back? Tell him thanks for waking her up? Ask about that granny with round cheeks, tell him that they should talk about it face-to-face? Did she say where he was, that she's actually in _his_ apartment, or is it too unimportant a fact to say to that guy?

He looks away, because fundamentally it's wrong to read someone else's correspondences like this. Also, if he thinks about the two of them any more than this…

"Brrr… you're getting cold," Ochako says, as she places her phone face-down on the futon. "You okay?"

He catches himself right before he gets any colder. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

She blinks at him, a little more awake now, a little concerned. "You… don't look okay. Is there anything on your mind?"

Is she ready to talk now? That'll be difficult, because he suddenly doesn't feel that he is.

"Nothing's on my mind."

She tilts her head up on his pillow, pink cheeks glowing and little eyebrows furrowing together. "W… well… if you say so…"

A silence bears down on them, heavy and incompatible with the warm light of the sun streaming in the room. Steadily suffocating, like a hand around his neck. He needs to stand up, to think a little clearer, to get away from that intoxicating cherry blossom scent-

"Shouto…"

He stands before she can say anything more, pulling out a shirt and a pair of boxers for her and dropping them next to her without another word. He pulls on a pair of sweats as well, and without thinking too much about it, begins to move about the room as if it's just another Wednesday morning.

He crosses the room to move to the bathroom when he feels her tugging on his pants leg. He meets her confused gaze quietly, tilting his head and letting her do the talking.

(He really cannot talk right now.)

"Can we, you know… just talk for a second," she says, patting the space next to her. "I'll be quick, I promise."

He regards the space next to her briefly, and opts to sit on the tatami in front of her. She gives him another odd look, but says nothing more about it. She doesn't put on his shirt, and instead uses it to cover her front in a gesture of modesty.

The silence falls over them again, more unforgiving. Shouto gives her a few moments to form the words in her head.

"I mean, um. About what we did last night." She rubs her arm self consciously, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. The warmth of last night, the quiet he felt inside staring at her back suddenly seems so far away.

When the silence becomes too much to bear, he says, even though he's quite unready to speak: "If it was a mistake, I'm sorry."

She looks up at him with a sheen in his eyes. "A… mistake?"

Her voice wavers. It's a little unfair how hurt she appears over his words, when he felt just as awful in her silence a while ago.

He exhales quietly. "You seemed uneasy with me this morning… so I wasn't sure."

She bites her lip. "Oh… yeah, I mean if you aren't sure…"

It seems that none of the words they're using are working.

He tries again. "If you don't want things to change between us, it's all right. We don't have to do this again."

She swallows and looks away even farther. "I… I mean, if you don't want to… I'm sorry, I must have pushed myself on you last night… I didn't mean to, and…"

She didn't mean to do any of those things with him last night.

"... I'm sorry if I got carried away, Shouto." She bows her head, looking at the growing space between them. "I thought that you wanted to. And I wanted to, I definitely wanted to, so…"

She looks up with her shiny doe eyes, confused and vulnerable. Little globules of tears at the corners of her eyes. He really wants to hold her close again, but he wonders what for.

He needs her to be honest this time. He will be too, when he figures out the correct words to say. "Am I holding you back from anything?"

She stares at him with a hint of bewilderment in her eyes. "... why would you ask that?"

He sighs. "Because I feel like I am."

She looks at him like she can't believe what she's hearing. "No… isn't it the opposite?" she says, with sudden heat behind her words. "I thought it was me all along… because aren't you and Yui-san-"

Kodai? What does she have to do with this?

"Don't look at me like that, Shouto," she says in frustration. "I didn't mean to see it, okay? You two holding hands in the cafe, in plain sight-"

Shouto's jaw drops, if only for the incredulousness of the situation.

"-and, to be honest, I know there's nothing wrong with it, because… there was nothing between us. Not really." The tears begin to flow, and damn they look so wrong flowing down those cheeks. "And you never said anything about it, and it's okay, I'll respect you, but it's stupid, isn't it? I dunno why I feel screwed up, why… why I'm like this, why I need to be with someone, when..."

He wants to hold her, to rub his hands over her back, tell her that it's okay to feel whatever she feels. But he doesn't. Everything feels wrong today, somehow...

"There's nothing between me and Kodai," he tells her instead.

She stares at him. "What do you mean?"

He probably shouldn't tell her about the investigation. It seems to be told to him in confidence. "It's… work-related. The conversation, the hand-holding. They were things that she needed to do."

"Wait…" She rubs her forehead rapidly. "So… she needed to talk to you in that private, intimate setting… needed to hold your hand in public…? Needed to have all those fake rumors about the two of you, for what? Work?"

He nods, because it's the truth.

She scoffs. "How many women do you have to fake-date to get out of things?"

What? Shouto shakes his head. "No, that's… we aren't dating, not in any shape of form… she's different from you."

Her eyes snap open, and he knows he said something wrong again.

Irritation courses through her, raw and hot, and he feels it from his seat. "That's a really funny thing to say, Shouto." She stands, not giving a damn about how she's still undressed. She bends over to collect her scrub pants from the floor, leaving Shouto's clothes untouched. "I mean-you can just tell me that you don't want to tell me anything and I'll be okay with it, I'll still pretend to be your girlfriend-"

"Ochako-"

"-but lying to me? To my face?" The tears feel different now. Instead of the quiet free fall over her cheeks, they're boiling hot and fly from the corners of her eyes with the swift turn of her head. "I… I thought we were friends. I thought-"

"We are," he says. "I just… can't tell you everything right now, but-"

No, she isn't supposed to go away like this. They're supposed to talk, to clear the tangle of confusing emotions between them. He's supposed to finally know where he stood with her-if he's in the right place next to her, or in the wrong one, in between the two of _them._

He tries to hold on to her wrist. She struggles against his grip briefly before she pulls away. Her skin screams red when she does.

She inhales sharply. He sees her mouth move silently, counting to ten, before she faces him again. "Sorry. I… I just can't. Not right now. Maybe later? When we're both calm."

She finds her discarded clothes, starts shoving them on her body one by one without a single word uttered between them. Soon they're at the door. Ochako is tying her shoelaces as quickly as she can, pointedly facing away from him.

He gathers his courage. "Ochako."

"Yeah?" She doesn't look up at him.

The air is suddenly cold in his lungs when he lets it go. "We… don't have to keep on dating."

That makes her turn her head to look over her shoulder.

He can't meet her eyes, though. "If you have other things on your mind." Other people. "I understand. We can call this off."

She puts a hand over the doorknob, pausing thoughtfully.

He wants so badly to hold her, to keep her within the threshold. It's painful being alone, and even more painful now that he's aware of how his apartment will feel without her in it.

Instead, he tells her, "It's about time I faced my problems on my own, anyway."

Another pregnant pause, one where he's too aware of how the room grows colder with every passing second. She turns her head, chestnut hair swishing in a way that he won't see again.

"We'll talk later," is all she says, before disappearing behind the closed door.

* * *

Ochako plows through the two weeks that follow that morning in the best way she can-working herself to the bone until she has nothing to do but collapse on a heap on the floor and snooze away until her next shift.

They… don't talk.

She stares at her phone and at the blinking cursor of the LINE App. Shouto's last good night message stares back at her like a cold relic. The weeks of silence stretch out to infinity. Whoever said that time makes anything better was fuckin' wrong.

She still doesn't know what to say. She missed her chance. If they didn't get carried away-if she wasn't so desperate to feel anything else-

But he's silent on his end as well. In the hospital, when they see each other, they lock eyes and it's always heavy but always quiet. They don't try to eat together anymore or even converse in public. Shouto has stopped offering her rides to her apartment. She volunteers for procedures every chance she gets, as long as it _isn't_ neurosurgery, and the other nurses have noticed.

They say nothing about it except exchange smug, knowing glances with each other. Mina frequently alternates between giving those people death glares and giving Ochako concerned ones. She doesn't say anything though, because Ochako doesn't say anything.

She seems to know enough, though. Her and Eijirou, because no matter what her shift is one or the other is always there to take her home, looking both ways to see if anyone is following them. Ochako wonders if Shouto has told them anything, and how much if he did, but she's too ashamed to ask anything.

Her phone chimes incessantly, but she knows it isn't him. They need to talk, but it isn't like before. There's an impassable wall between their hearts and their mouths.

Her apartment is cold.

Nothing changes.

* * *

 _Shindo Yo (1843H): hey Uraraka-san? Are you free right now?_

 _Shindo Yo (1911H): ah, i dont mean anything bad i promise~_

 _Shindo Yo (1911H): u n Todoroki-san got nothhn 2 worry bout_

 _Shindo Yo (1912H): i promise im not bein creepy_

 _Shindo Yo (1913H): i just noticed… ur rly stressed lately arent u (๑•_ _﹏•_ _)_

 _Shindo Yo (1914H): if ur not busy! Come with me for drinks Ｏ_ _(≧∇≦)Ｏ_

 _Shindo Yo (1916H): i know u arent good at drinking so its ok if u just have a milkshake or sth i'll take care of all the beers n shit σ(≧ε≦ｏ_ _)_

 _Me (1916H): ok_

 _Shindo Yo (1917H): and ill treat u of course, theres good burgers in the place im thinkin of and a mochi place nearby itll be awesome Ｏ_ _(≧∇≦)Ｏ_

 _Shindo Yo (1919H): wait_

 _Shindo Yo (1919H): ok?_

 _Shindo Yo (1920H): （＊〇□〇）…！_

 _Me (1921H): yep_

 _Me (1922H): where?_

 _Shindo Yo (1923H): ah wait gimme a moment_

 _Me (1928H): …. Senpai?_

 _Me (1930H): u were kidding werent u_

 _Me (1932H): i knew it. Can u not make jokes like that if u wont do good on em._

 _Me (1934H): whatever im goin to bed_

 _Shindo Yo (1938H): NOOO dont_

 _Shindo Yo (1938H): sorry for not replying i was all messed up from patrol so i took a shower right here in the agency! Am putting on pants rn!_

 _Shindo Yo (1939H): ten minutes! Ill pick u up in ten minutes!_

 _Me (1942H): um, ,,,,ok_

 _Me (1943H): we can just meet wherever u know_

 _Me (1943H): just let me know where_

 _Shindo Yo (1945H): well… i wanted to pick u up but if u like that better_

 _Me (1946H): yep_

 _Shindo Yo (1948H): ok then :)_

 _Shindo Yo (1949H): Meathead Bar, near Kiyashi Ward, 30 mins!_

 _Me (1951H): eh_

 _Shindo Yo (1952H): Too far? Like i said i can pick u up_

 _Me (1953H): no its ok. Just… havent been to that place in a while, isnt that near the red light district_

 _Shindo Yo (1955H): haha nah its fine_

 _Shindo Yo (1956H): i know the owner. And ur gonna be with a pro so dont worry bout sleazebags_

 _Me (1958H):..._

 _Me (2000H): ok_

 _Shindo Yo (2001H): yay! Ill see u chako-chan!_

 _Shindo Yo (2002H): dont be late ok or else ill cry •(◐﹏◐_ _)•_

 _Me (2005H): ok ill see u soon yo-senpai_

 _Shindo Yo (2006H): ! (● ∀ )_

 _Shindo Yo (2007H): ok! See u! omw!_

* * *

She enters the Meathead Bar exactly thirty minutes later. The place only has a few people scattered about, maybe because it's so early. It's easy to spot Shindo speaking to a sour-faced purple-haired bartender at one end of the bar. The moment she enters, he catches her eye and waves her over.

"Hey, you," he says with a big smile. "Don't you clean up nice."

She didn't want to put so much effort into dressing up nicely tonight and had almost decided on wearing Kyoka's band shirt underneath a plaid shirt and jeans… until she realized that the last time she made an effort was to meet the Todorokis. Somehow that was enough to ditch that outfit in favor of a pink dress that showed off her arms and the curve of her hips, and put a leather jacket over that.

She shrugs and takes note of his outfit too-a dark button-down, two buttons undone at the top and sleeves rolled up to show off his toned arms; skinny jeans and sneakers; glimmering silver on one ear, around his neck, on his watch.

He looks as flashy as ever. She sees people looking over their shoulder to drink in the sight of him-whether for his looks or because he's the rising pro-hero Seismic remains to be known. "You look pretty awful yourself, senpai."

"Ouch." He makes a show of being hurt. "Ah, wait, let me introduce you to Meathead's owner! So this is Shishikura Seiji, a meat specialist and all-around nice guy-"

He doesn't look that nice based on the way his eyes look down on her, but okay-

"And this is Uraraka Ochako," he says, his eyes darkening a little, "my ex-girlfriend from a decade or so ago."

"Hrm," grumbles Shishikura, with a sardonic twist of his mouth. "This isn't one of those corny things where you're actually introducing your wife, you bastard?"

"Oh no, he really is my ex," Ochako says before Shindo can get another word in. "I totally hate this guy."

Shindo makes another shot-to-the-heart gesture, while Shishikura snorts. "Good for you. So, Shindo, let me leave this potentially awkward situation now so I can get you your food and alcohol."

"Right. Thanks Shishkabob."

"Say that again and I'll kick you out of the premises," the purple-haired man says without humor, before disappearing from plain sight.

"So… that wasn't too awkward, I hope," Shindo laughs, as he gestures for Ochako to take a seat.

"Nope, just awkward enough." She obliges and arranges herself on the seat. Her hands go to her phone almost on instinct to check her messages.

He notices and raises his eyebrows. "Yeah, I guess you have to tell your boyfriend that you got here safe, huh?"

There's a message from Mina, asking her if she got home safe, plus a selfie of her puckering up. Another from Aoyama, who texted something in French that she needs Google Translate to decode.

There isn't anything from Shouto, but she expected that.

"... yeah, I should," she says, sending a heart emoji to Mina. After which, she locks her phone and puts it face-down at the bottom of her bag, where she won't reach it so easily.

When she looks up, Shindo has his hand under his chin, staring at her with a knowing twinkle in his eye. "What is it?"

"Nothing," he says, as Shishikura silently gives them two shots of whiskey on the rocks. "So… Nurse Uraraka, how have you been? Has life-work balance been any easier for you?"

There isn't any life-work balance to begin with. Ochako reckons that the components of her life have fallen off the scale ages ago. "It's not bad. I'm sure it isn't as bad as yours, with the upsurge of villains and all."

He laughs. "You said it. I worked another double shift again today, you know. Been on the job since five in the morning."

She whistles low. "Insane."

And here he is, having drinks with her, with more energy than he knew what to do with. "Hey, it's a calling, just like yours. We both just gotta do what we gotta do, right?" He sips the whiskey without wincing and leans forward. "So, Uraraka, have you been doing what you have to do?"

 _Besides running away from her stupid feelings?_

There's a gleam of curiosity in his eyes, and something underneath. Ochako knows him too well to sense that he's digging for something else.

So she takes a thoughtful sip of her whiskey, also without wincing, and looks at him in the eyes. "I do what I can, senpai. But there's not a lot of excitement on my end, so I'd much rather hear you talk tonight."

The attempt at deflection registers with him, if the shine in his eyes is anything to go by. Still, he laughs it off. "Well, if you say so~ you know, today they asked for back-up in the Naruhata ward-man, that place is messed up, maybe there's something in the water there…"

Soon, Shindo fills the air between them with his interesting stories. He's really good at engaging the audience, and even Ochako allows herself to be genuinely interested in the things he's saying.

When Shishikura comes back with meatballs, she asks for five shots of vodka.

* * *

The night goes on, and so does Ochako. By this time she's finished the first glass of whiskey and the vodka. Shindo has ordered a shitty bottle of rum for them to finish. They're halfway there when she tries to stand to leave for the restroom.

Tries, being the keyword, because she couldn't figure out how to get down from the barstool. Does she go left, or right? Which foot goes down first? Where does she put her hands to support herself? She probably can't do it on the table because it'll float all the way to the ceiling and they'd have to pay for damages-

"Chako-chan!" Shindo's guffaw is louder than necessary. He's probably had one shot too many too. "You're not okay anymore, aren't you?"

"I'm good," she says. She experimentally tries to put her left foot down. When it's on solid ground, she puts the right one after, and stands up-

And stumbles, face-first, into something solid.

"Whoa there," Shindo says, wrapping his arms around her, pressing her closer to his chest. "Chako, come on, you can barely stand, I don't know what you're trynna do but you're gonna hurt yourself like this-"

He smells like pepper and spice, and it should smell good. She can't help but inhale the scent of him as her fingers curl over the fabric of his shirt, struggles to keep herself upright.

"S-senpai-"

Stupidly though, all she's able to think of is how different it smells from Shouto.

Ugh, where the hell did that come from? Why does her mind work like this, why does he randomly rise in her memory when she should be focused on her balance and stepping away from Shindo and _not_ destroying Shishikura-san's property-

"Chako-chan?"

The fabric in front of her face is suddenly damp. She wonders if it's just his sweat or if she accidentally spilled his drink on him, or-

"Hey." He pulls her face off of him and stares into her eyes. Gosh, his eyes are so dark, it's so hard to read them, they're so different, different, and _fuck don't go there, he's telling you something important,_ "... wrong? Tell me, okay? Talk to me…"

Her head spins when she wills the words to get out. "No… it's okay…"

"Huh?"

"No," she says, shaking her head. The alcohol is all over her head now. She should stop this shit, hasn't this happened before, getting ass-faced in front of the _wrong fuckin' person_ and having to rely on someone else to take her home-can't she do something right, for once? If she wasn't such a weak-willed coward and told Shouto how she _really_ felt, then-

"What?"

Her mouth closes, and she realizes from the croak of her voice that she just finished speaking.

"The wrong fuckin' person, huh." Shindo sighs. He pushes her at a distance from him, but doesn't let her go. "Right. Well… this just got way past awkward enough."

"... yeah. Sorry."

All the words die in her throat. Somehow the two of them gain enough sobriety from that, and climb up back in their seats. An unbearable silence stretches between the two of them, before Shindo speaks up again.

"That stings a _lot,_ Uraraka-san, but it's not like I didn't deserve it." He pushes a glass of cold water to her and urges her to drink it before continuing. "I mean, from the way things ended between us, 'the wrong fuckin' person' is probably the nicest thing you can call me."

Another bout of silence. Her head's hazy, but she doesn't miss the visible struggle in Shindo's usually unreadable eyes. One of his hands moves as if to seek hers, but he stops it midway.

"... Chako," he inhales, uncharacteristically despondent. "I didn't fight for you. I'm really sorry."

The apology she's been waiting for, ten years in the making. Her eyes widen in disbelief.

"... I didn't think I'd regret letting you go as much as I did. So when I saw you again, after all this time, I thought I'd regret it if I didn't at least try to get you back, you know? Even if I had to play dirty, even if you already had-I mean, _have_ Todoroki. Am I wrong?"

But why doesn't she feel as vindicated as she should?

She isn't able to answer, though, and it gets him interested. He sits up a little straighter, forcing some clarity in his gaze. "This is why I thought I had a chance. I wasn't sure where you and Todoroki stood."

She swallows down a gulp of water. That makes two of them.

"Yikes, you two. You aren't big talkers, aren't you. I know, I got that vibe from the one time he wanted to ice me in a public hospital lobby just for talking to you."

She chokes on her water. "Wh… what? You're kidding!"

Despite herself, a smile is forming on her lips. He groans in frustration, because really, that's what it takes for her to laugh again? "Just for tonight, I'm giving up on you, okay? But tomorrow, fuck Todoroki, I'll keep on bugging you 'til you're sure of what you want for yourself."

She… doesn't know how to feel about that. But she agrees that she needs to have a good talk with herself before she even thinks about another person.

Thanks to the glass of water, it's easier to stand up. She's woozy, but at least she's got enough sobriety to walk unassisted across the bar and out to the street, where Shindo hails a cab for her.

"How about you?" she asks, when he closes the door after her with the window rolled down.

He pokes her nose with a finger in response. "Let me get wasted a little more here, yeah? I mean, you just broke this innocent hero's heart."

"Idiot."

"Agreed." He signals the driver to go. Soon, the car lurches forward, and Ochako watches as Shindo's silhouette gets smaller and smaller and eventually, disappears behind the doors.

Thankfully, she gets to her tiny apartment complex safely, and is sober enough to walk the short distance to her door. When she stumbles in, shoes kicked off and body flopped on the couch, she allows herself to stare at the ceiling, in a beat. Two beats.

 _So, Uraraka, have you been doing what you have to do?_

She takes a deep breath to steady herself. She fishes out her phone, taps a message in it without thinking too hard on it for once, and presses send.

Her phone lights up with a message as soon as the message is delivered.

 _Me (0032H): hey, so about last time, im sorry. if ur not busy lets talk for real this time_

 _Todoroki Shouto (0032H): Can we see each other soon?_

Oh.

* * *

 **AN:** oh my god. I'm so sorry this took so long! T_T four days late to my weekly update omg im so sorry it was so hard writing out this part! I had to get rid of a lot of scenes and just figuring out how to write a fight without being depressed is harder than it looks omg. and in general i wasnt happy with the direction this was going, ahhhh. and while shishikura came outta nowhere in this story i had to edit out a scene with camie because it just wasnt working huhuhu... well, i'll write something else with camie in it so whatever!

so having sex didn't solve anything, hah. i wonder if they're finally gonna talk in the next chapter?

if you're reading ruby red and caramel, we're getting to the same spot really really soon so! stick around and brace yourself! i think we have 2 chapters and an epilogue to go!


	10. 9: Still A Crybaby

**Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea  
** Chapter 10: Still A Crybaby

* * *

Shouto remembers the night that Touya-nii ran away.

He doesn't see his big brother a lot, so he doesn't remember a lot about him. Shouto knows that he's tall, and has red hair and blue eyes like the left part of himself. When they posed for a picture with Mom that one time, Shouto remembers his skin feeling cold, like his own right side.

He also knows that like him, Touya is always wrapped in bandages. But he's always smiling when he plays with Fuyumi and Natsuo, like they don't hurt. It makes him look cool, and Shouto wants to look cool like that one day.

It's late, maybe past midnight when Shouto wakes up from another bad dream and feels very thirsty. Not wanting to wake anyone up, he decides to go down to the kitchen himself.

At first he's scared because it's dark and he might fall. But to his surprise there are lights near the front door. And voices.

"... are you sure about this, Touya?" That's Fuyumi-nee, and her voice sounds weird. It sounds weak and froggy, like it does sometimes when she sees Shouto after a hard day of training with Dad.

"Yeah…" Touya-nii. He isn't whispering, but his voice is really soft. "I can't do what he wants anymore. I'd rather die."

"Yeah, but… running away… where will you go? What if you get hurt? I mean, maybe we can try talking to Dad about you and..."

"Fuyumi-nee, there's no other way if it's Dad. You know that." Natsu-nii is also there. Shouto peeks from the hallway and sees his silver hair and Touya's Samurai Blue duffel bag in his hands. "But nii-san… you'll try to keep in touch with us, right?"

"I'll think about it."

Touya is silent for some time as he ties his shoes. It's weird that he's putting on his shoes even though it's dark outside. Shouto kind of wants to ask why, but he doesn't know if it's okay to talk with him. Or any of them.

(Dad was extra mad today, so maybe he shouldn't.)

But before he can turn around and leave, he sees Touya stop and slowly turn to him. Bright blue eyes land on his, wide like he's scared at first, before they change into something else. "Shouto."

Fuyumi and Natsuo look at him too. They don't move for a while, and Shouto is suddenly too afraid to move too.

Touya breaks the silence among them. He smiles and puts his arms out to Shouto. "Don't just stand there, Shou. Wanna come here?"

He nods and quietly pads over the tatami and then next to his older brother. He doesn't understand why he hugs him, but he does, and Touya does the same thing. When Shouto feels his arms with their messy bandages around them, he wonders why they feel like coals instead of ice.

"Where are you going, Touya-nii?"

Touya smirks. "Dunno. An adventure. An awesome one."

"That sounds fun," Shouto says in awe. Touya is so cool. He's big and strong and he can do whatever he likes without feeling scared. "I wanna go too."

Fuyumi bites her lower lip and shakes her head. "No… Shoucchan, come here, okay? It's way past your bedtime, and… and Dad will be mad if he sees that you're not sleeping."

Natsuo starts to look weird too. "I dunno nee-san… Maybe Shou could go with him? Maybe-"

"No!" She whispers so that no-one will hear, but she sounds angry. She pulls Shouto from Touya's arms and holds him close. "You can't take him too… he's too little, it'll be too scary…"

"And what Dad does to him isn't scary?" Natsuo's whisper is louder and angrier. "I don't like watching Shou go through the same thing as nii-san, you know?"

"But Touya doesn't even know where he's going," Fuyumi hisses. Her grip on Shouto becomes tighter. "What if they get hurt out there?"

"They're… already getting hurt here."

They fall silent after that. Shouto doesn't know why they're worried about him and Touya-nii. Training hurts, but Dad says that once they're the best, nothing will hurt anymore. So all they have to do is train more, until he and Touya-nii become the strongest heroes, and then everything will be okay, right?

"It's fine. Doesn't hurt that much." Touya stands up and ruffles Shouto's hair. "Anyways, Shou, crybabies aren't allowed in adventures, so I can't take you. You're just gonna get in my way."

"I'm not a crybaby," he says with a pout. He hasn't cried in a while, not even when Dad hit him in the tummy after breakfast.

"Yeah? Who cried when Natsuo blew out the candle on his birthday cake, huh?"

Shouto puffs his cheeks. "That was last year."

A long time ago. Shouto doesn't remember the last time someone had a birthday party at their house. Touya's eyes suddenly look sad. "Yeah… last year, huh. Oh well." He takes his bag from Natsuo and slings it over his shoulder. "Anyways, I'm outta this joint. You brats better take care of that crybaby, you hear? Or else I'm going back and takin' him with me, no matter what you say."

Natsuo nods and does a salute like they do in the Gundam animes they watch together. Shouto tries to do the same. "Yes, cap'n." His voice sounds weird, like Fuyumi's, but he smiles.

Touya salutes back, and goes for the door. It opens and it closes, as doors tend to do, and the house becomes unnaturally silent. Shouto remembers staring at it and wondering if he'll see Touya again in the morning, playing football with Fuyumi and Natsuo like nothing happened.

By the time the weeping Fuyumi takes him upstairs with a cup of tea though, he suddenly understands that he'll never see Touya outside his window again.

Shouto isn't a crybaby anymore, but he sleeps with a saltwater-soaked pillowcase that night.

* * *

The weeks have been hard for Shouto.

He hasn't been able to sleep well, eat well. Work had been terribly busy thanks to the upsurge in villain activity. He can't complain; he doesn't have the energy to. His days are spent in the OR, his nights spent collapsing on the bed or on the couch or on the floor, wherever his mood and energy levels take him.

People stare at him. At the empty space next to him. Then back at him, as if adding two and two together. It was only a matter of time before the rumors circulate. And they do, with a vengeance.

He doesn't care, although it becomes extra troublesome when Endeavor catches wind of them and asks him questions about it. Leaving him on read is a simple matter, but it's a little difficult when Fuyumi-nee starts to ask, and Natsu-nii.

Mom has been quiet about it, but her eyes look a little down when they do their video calls. She's happy enough seeing him, she says, and she can't wait for his next visit.

He doesn't want Mom to be sad. She shouldn't be, because Shouto's been alone all this time. He isn't technically any different from the time he went to see her and everyone else in Shizuoka.

(It's just that now, he doesn't have any of Ochako's stories to listen to.)

But. He doesn't recall being alone-truly alone this time, without the shield of a fake relationship to distract him-ever felt like this: a confusing state of too wide, too narrow. Too noisy, too quiet. Too much of himself, and too little at the same time.

He doesn't enjoy it. But he doesn't suffer in it either. He doesn't know what to do with himself while in it.

There's lots of space to take a good look at himself. All his scars and cracks and soft spots. Most days he doesn't like what he sees, doesn't like the stories that the sight of each blemish gives him.

Other times he doesn't care. Those times are okay. He doesn't have to hate Endeavor or himself as much. The past weeks aren't any different from most of his life, in retrospect.

The short time with Ochako just made him believe that maybe a life other than that is possible. Even though it was pretend from the start.

Tonight is two weeks… three weeks? since they last spoke. He's tired and alone and his hands are shaking and freezing and burning again. It's not different from any other bad nights, but there's a period of lucidity that makes him conclude:

This isn't right. Being alone like this isn't right.

He… needs help.

Real professional help.

Maybe… just this once, he can ask for it. Endeavor isn't around to tell him that he can't.

Fuyumi could help. Or Natsuo. Mom needed help, and was helped before, right? It wouldn't be so bad. It would be logical to ask.

Maybe there's someone in the psychiatry department that can help him. Shinsou works with them frequently because of his quirk. He's a trustworthy guy, and quiet. Maybe he can ask him too.

He stares at into the emptiness of his apartment, and at his shaking hands. It's silly, but just thinking of that feels like a breakthrough. That there's a way out of this odd despondence that he has plunged head-first in.

Strange, that out of nowhere he wants to tell her. Maybe just to let her know that he doesn't know if there's a meaning to all of these things he's feeling, but he found a way to find out, at least.

It's way past midnight of a busy day. Shouto stares at his phone and begins to compose a message.

* * *

 _Ochako (0032H): hey, so about last time, im sorry. if ur not busy lets talk for real this time_

 _Me (0032H): Can we see each other soon?_

 _Me (0033H): …_

 _Ochako (0033H): …_

 _Ochako (0034H): haha_

 _Ochako (0034H): at the same time… r u kidding me_

 _Me (0035H): Yes._

 _Me (0035H): It's pretty… amusing._

 _Me (0036H): I'm surprised that you're still awake at this hour._

 _Ochako (0038H): ur not sleeping yet either_

 _Me (0039H): No… I'm not. Not at all._

 _Ochako (0041H): so_

 _Me (0041H): so_

 _Ochako (0042H): again? Hahaha_

 _Me (0043H): Yes, it's uncanny._

 _Me (0045H): You said you wanted to talk?_

 _Ochako (0046H): … yea, i do_

 _Ochako (0047H): i mean,, i know we havent been… since that time_

 _Ochako (0049H): i think i have things i want to say to you. And to myself too._

 _Me (0051H): I understand._

 _Me (0052H): It's the same for me._

 _Me (0053H): Is tomorrow all right?_

 _Me (0054H): I am free in the morning. But we don't have to meet that soon, if you're not ready._

 _Me (0056H): I understand if you aren't comfortable yet._

 _Ochako (0059H): no, it's okay._

 _Ochako (0100H): tomorrow's perfect._

 _Me (0103H): …_

 _Ochako (0105H): i'm not kidding. It is._

 _Ochako (0106H): my shift is in the afternoon, so… we can just see each other early?_

 _Me (0109H): All right._

 _Me (0110H): We can have coffee, if you like._

 _Ochako (0111H): that would be cool, im ok with just 7-11 hehe_

 _Me (0112H): No. The coffee there is terrible._

 _Me (0113H): You aren't drinking any of those awful drinks if I can help it._

 _Ochako (0114H): omg lol i figured,,, u boujee_

 _Me (0115H): … boujee?_

 _Ochako (0117H): u rich kid. ur just like yaomomo_

 _Ochako (0118H): haha but ok, we can maybe go to bakugous place if u want good coffee_

 _Me (0119H): Oh. Will that place be okay for you?_

 _Ochako (0120H): ah_

 _Ochako (0121H): … yeah…. Bakugous scary, but… i mean he's cool and his cafe is near the hosp, and if doesn't matter if you, before… i mean, i rly dont mind going there_

 _Me (0122H): All right. :) I'll see you tomorrow, then._

 _Ochako (0125H): !_

 _Ochako (0126H): is that smiley… real_

 _Me (0127H): ? Did I use it correctly?_

 _Ochako (0129H): oh! Yes. Yes you did_

 _Ochako (0130H): lmao i must be dreaming its so late_

 _Me (0132H): It is, haha._

 _Ochako (0133H): and now ur goin haha_

 _Ochako (0134H): i think ur brain is also shuttin down shouto_

 _Me (0135H): I don't know about that._

 _Me (0136H): I don't feel as terrible as I have a few hours ago._

 _Ochako (0138H): thats great… hehe_

 _Ochako (0140H): so… im getting sleepy…_

 _Ochako (0141H): im dizzy too… kinda too drunk, maybe_

 _Me (0142H): … all right._

 _Me (0145H): I'll let you sleep it off._

 _Me (0146H): Good night, Ochako._

* * *

The sun has just risen when Shouto sees her in the hospital lobby.

He sees her on most days, although he hasn't looked her in the eye for a long time now. Ochako is in her scrub suit and a Hosu Gen jacket. Her hair is a little messy and is mostly up in a messy bun, exposing the back of her neck. Her eyes look a little tired, but they're as bright and brown as he remembers them.

She smiles quietly. A little dizzily. Maybe she's hungover. It's not as off-putting as it should be.

"Hey," he says.

The smile brightens and somehow reach her eyes. "Good morning, Doctoroki. It's been a while."

He nods and stares at her, instantly forgetting his script, not quite knowing what to do next.

"So… Bakugou or Jirou aren't here yet to open the cafe, and we don't have anywhere else to go," she says with an awkward laugh. Maybe she notices how he doesn't seem to know what to do next.

"It's fine." There are a few people walking by, with more important things to do. They don't spare them a second glance. "We can start talking here."

So they flop down on the worn lobby couch determinedly and stare each other down. Open their mouths, and close them again at the same time. It's funny how they do that often.

"I'll start," Ochako says with an amused glow of her pink cheeks. They're also as round as Shouto remembers them. A surge of nostalgia overwhelms him. "So… um, first of all… I'm sorry, I messed up. You didn't deserve the things I said to you last time we saw each other."

She pauses and assesses the look on his face. "I really am, okay? I was… am, insecure. I kinda got mad at you for things that I had no right to be mad at, and I didn't even give you a chance to explain yourself. I was too focused on myself, but even then I sucked at focusing on myself because I didn't really understand what I wanted and what I was afraid of. Like… maybe it's just a perpetual fear of being alone and discarded and unwanted, because I had a lot of that in the past, and maybe… maybe I need to know for myself how to deal with that first, before I even think about you, and..."

She stops for a breath and laughs humorlessly. "And… you're just staring at me like that. I really don't know what you're thinking."

"Oh," he says apologetically. "I didn't want to distract you. I am listening, promise."

She makes a cute little whining noise. "I know, just… urgh, I feel ridiculous, just monologuing like this. I'm beggin' ya to stop me, ya know?!"

His mouth twists upward. "I kind of don't want to. It's nice listening to you talk."

Her cheeks flush and puff and he realizes how long it's been since he last saw that. How he missed it. How he missed her.

"You have to talk too, Doctoroki," she says, jabbing him at the side with a finger. "I'm not the only one screwed in the head here, ya know?"

He catches her hand and forces it down on her side. She freezes at the feel of his hand on hers, and he does too, for a moment.

It's nice, but he shouldn't be distracted. "You're right. I am… not okay."

It's a little hard to continue, with the look of warmth and concern on her face, like she's ready to do anything for him again and he knows that's what got them into trouble in the first place.

Well, he has to say words properly this time, so no misunderstanding occurs. "... I feel exactly the same way about myself. After thinking about it, I think the best thing for me to do is-"

Alarm spikes in his gut, so sharp he flinches.

Ochako stares at him with wide eyes. "Shouto? What's wrong?"

He knows what this is. Even though it's been years since the last time he was out on the field as a pro, his body remembers. All his nerves are alight, his muscles tense. His brain tells him to calm down, look around, find out what it is that's wrong about this situation.

When the rumbling starts, he's already pushing Ochako's head down and facing the glass windows. An ice shield is already up before the floor in front of them collapses, and the people start to scream.

He hears a lot of things shattering beyond the wall, likely the glass and concrete. He hopes it isn't his ice.

"Run," he tells Ochako sternly, standing his ground. "Help everyone else get out of here."

"But-wh-what is that, what's going on?"

"Doesn't matter. Evacuate."

More shattering noises. A black shadow is on the other side, getting closer and closer. He wills fire to form on his hand, burning the sleeve of his coat.

Ochako, pale as a ghost, finally nods. With the people screaming around her, she starts to yell, "Everyone, please follow me, the fire exit is this way-"

The moment the ice shatters, Shouto's hand bursts into flame. He targets the brunt of the heat onto the black thing's face, not even bothering to see if it's human or not. He can only target focus so much heat and smoke before the sprinklers come on, so he has to do as much damage with one blow.

He knows he applied enough heat to melt human flesh. But the thing that stares back at him-vacant, and only mildly offended by the fire-is obviously _not._

A hand made of pure power starts to go down, fingers twitching as if to clutch him. It's too close, he doesn't have time to roll away or to fight back.

"Todoroki!"

Silver and black fill his vision, as do the sounds of metal hitting metal. When he opens his eyes, he's up in the ceiling, and a person made of steel is in his place, holding back against a fist to the top of his head.

"Fuck, that hurts what the hell!" Tetsutetsu screams. Next to him, Shoji and Awase yell their expletives, a mass array of randomly fused bits of steel in their hands. "Let's kill this thing you guys!"

Shouto stares at this bug-eyed before he realizes that he's going down. In the next moment, he drops to the ground, the dark matter around him unraveling until it's in the shape of a crow, floating next to Tokoyami Fumikage. "Todoroki, are you all right?"

"Yeah," Shouto says, half in awe, half in panic. "What are you doing here? Everyone's supposed to be evacuating."

"Shouto!" Ochako yells from behind him. She is panting, along with Kendo, Honenuki, and Shiozaki, who are followed by a rather large group of pale-faced civilians. "There's no way out. There's more of them out there roaming the streets."

"... a whole lot more of them," Honenuki adds, with a swallow. "I saw at least five of them trying to break in here when we tried to evacuate just now. I made them sink to the ground, but it's only a matter of time before they make their way out. They seem strong."

Five more of these. He looks away from them briefly to form a wall between the fight and the civilians.

"We called the police, but I'm not sure how quickly they'll respond," says Kendo, as more shattering and rumbling noises emerge from around them. "And the pros too, but…"

Shiozaki sniffles. She's a little paler than everyone else when she speaks. "I… called Emily. She's responding to the call, but… it's not just Hosu that's suffering from the wrath of these beasts. Nomus, she called these abominations." Her trembling hands are clasped in front of her, as if in deep prayer. "Who are these sinners who would dare play god like this, and terrorize so many innocents?"

 _The League of Villains,_ Shouto thinks in despair. _Is this another stupid war against heroes? Another war against the number one hero?_

Endeavor's face flashes in his mind briefly, along with a concerning rush of emotions he cannot name. He shakes these off and stands up. "We have no time to waste, whatever this is," he mutters, before running back to the fray, with fire and ice in his hands.

"Shouto!"

He noticed something while he was fighting the Nomu. There are people all around them, but it only seemed to target Shouto first. Its arms curl, as if in an effort to grab him. When Tokoyami caught him, its eyes went from Dark Shadow to Tokoyami, and were it not for Tetsutetsu distracting it with his steel skin, then it would have chased after the two of them…

This Nomu has targets, it seems. Shouto, Tokoyami, and Tetsutetsu are among some of them.

"Todoroki, watch out!" Shoji shouts, as he himself is thrown backwards with a blow to the stomach.

Is it because of their quirks? Is the League of Villains collecting innocent civilians with destructive quirks? What are they going to do with them?

 _The answers aren't very important right now_ , Shouto reprimands himself as he throws more fire and ice against the Nomu.

"Todoroki! What the hell are you doing?!" Awase screams, as Shouto catches the Nomu's eye with a small fireball to the face.

"Distracting it," Shouto says evenly. "It comes after you if it sees you use a quirk. I'll lead it away from everyone else-"

"No, don't be stupid!" Tetsutetsu chokes, even as he bleeds from broken skin at his head. Ochako, who hears everything, pales more than ever and begins to move towards him. Kendo thankfully has the sense to hold her back with a normal-sized hand.

"-and when it's far away, Shiozaki should form a barrier all around the lobby with her quirk. I'll reinforce it with ice from outside."

He doesn't know why his voice is so calm and distant when he speaks. All eyes are on him as the Nomu blindly chases after him, seeking out his fire like a moth to a flame, too fast, too fast. He forms ice under his feet and slides out of the building on freezing waves.

In a matter of seconds, he's outside of the building, the Nomu stumbling after him. As soon as they're out in the sun, vines begin to emerge from the ground, forming a wall. To his relief, even though Tetsutetsu and Awase run to stop him, the vines seal them safely inside the lobby.

Now, he just has to deal with the Nomu by himself.

He hits the monster with fire and ice, but it's difficult because his stance is unsteady, and it's not doing his aim any favors. There are holes in the concrete, all manner of things falling around him as buildings crumble. There are screams and gunshots and blasts and rumbles of thunder from a distance.

He needs to fight. Fire, in his hand, now.

It doesn't form. Something hits him at the back of his head.

It's heavy and it comes from above, accompanied by a body falling somewhere close by. Debris, he realizes. He hopes that the person thrown is still alive. He hopes that it isn't a civilian. Or a pro.

But there isn't time to worry about someone else. His vision goes blurry, nausea filling his senses in waves. He tries to form ice when he can't aim the fire anymore. The glaciers are hollow and weak, easily breaking when the monster moves.

The Nomu tilts its head at him curiously, hands going for his neck.

"Shouto! Move!"

Out of nowhere, the nausea at the pit of his stomach blooms into a complete weightlessness. Someone's arms are around him. The Nomu misses and looks up at them, temporarily at a loss on what to do.

He looks at the owner of the voice. And the arms. And the reason why he's floating. "Ochako."

He means to sound angry, because he really is. He wants to tell her that she isn't supposed to be here and why is she putting herself in danger for him when she was already safe inside? But his head still feels odd, and he only manages a slightly befuddled question aimed vaguely at all.

"We have to get you out of here," she tells him in a voice that sounds too far away. They're twenty feet in the air, and the higher they get the greener Ochako's face becomes. "We can hide up the roof until the pros-"

She doesn't even have the time to scream as the monster leaps from the ground and gets a hold of their legs. The tug jars them both, and despite zero gravity, they find themselves being pulled to the ground.

Ochako hisses in pain as her ankle is violently pulled down. "Shit! Get off me, you-"

He struggles and kicks and tries to burn and/or freeze the monster's arms off. But he can only do so much without burning their own legs off. He can't think straight, can't aim well, can't do anything-

When they sink, they're suddenly engulfed in blue flame. It's so hot he wonders if they've descended to hell.

The monster screeches like a pterodactyl and lets them go. Ochako appears beyond her limit of using her quirk and releases them as soon as they're on concrete that's not burning.

He crawls to her, coughing from the smoke and ashes billowing around them. He tries to form ice around them and then holds her with his right hand. "Ochako," he calls out, weakly.

She stares at the flames in front of them, eyes as wide as saucers. "It's… you," she says weakly.

Amidst the chaos all around them, Shouto wonders why it's the first thing that comes out of her mouth. And then he looks at the person she's talking to: jet-black hair, burnt skin, stitches that make him look like a patchwork doll rather than a human. Flames are sprouting out of his hands, blue and hot that it stings his skin from a distance.

Blue eyes, cold with anger, stare down at the Nomu and then at the two of them. "Get outta here. Take Shouto with you."

"Wh… who are you?" How does he know his name? Why does Ochako know who he is? How is this fire possible?

Does he know him?

The man glares at him for a split second before turning his attention back to the Nomu. The temperature is so high, the blasts so loud that the steel bars sticking out of broken concrete begin to wilt like flowers. His skin begins to burn, his ice quirk at his state can only do so much to counteract the heat.

"Shouto, let's go," Ochako says urgently, tugging at his sleeve. She's burning up too, even though he's trying to cover them in frost. "I can still make us float, just hold on to me, okay?"

He knows that leaving is the best thing to do right now, and that Ochako is their best bet. The Nomu looks like it's in pain, its movements duller and slower. If they had to escape, it has to be now.

He knows that, but it's then that something comes back to him. It's trivial, but it's when he sees how the blue of the man's eyes matches the blue of the flames. It's when he thinks of the way he says Shouto. It's in the dark of his clothes, the fighting stance, the way his jaw clenches in _excruciating pain_ when he incinerates the monster-

Kodai's voice in his head: _Todoroki-san… are you related to a vigilante named Dabi?_

As powerful as it is, the man's fire isn't enough to hold the Nomu back. It hits him square in the jaw, making him fly in a smoking heap towards the wall of vines.

Shouto's eyes snap open from the haze. "Touya-nii!"

His right hand moves without thinking. Another wave of ice emerges from the ground and in between him and the Nomu. There's fire all around, the hissing heat enough to crack the shield, just enough to slow it down. Shouto moves to form another one, ignoring the dizziness of rapid temperature change around him, all efforts directed on saving him.

The next wave of ice from him is still weak. But the one after that is large and strong, and doesn't come from him.

"Nii-san! Shou!" a familiar voice screams from behind them.

Shouto momentarily wonders if all he's seeing is a mirage, because out of nowhere Natsu-nii is running in the scene, dressed in his physical therapist scrubs and bare arms white with frost. He brakes in front of Shouto, onyx eyes shining with worry. "Ochako-chan, go and float! I'll take care of nii-san!"

"Okay!" Ochako yells, moving to touch Shouto, but he stops her.

"Shouto-"

It's not the best place for confrontations. He knows that, but his brain's too jumbled up to care. "Natsu-nii, you knew… you knew that Touya-nii was-"

"We'll talk after we survive, okay? Just get outta here already!" Natsuo turns away and sends shards of ice careening towards the monster. He's able to distract the monster enough to get to the dark-haired Touya's side and to help him up.

"Shouto," Ochako says, her voice edging at a sob. "Please, your… your _brothers_ are letting us escape, we have to go now _._ "

Shouto stares at the scene in front of him, hardly believing it. Natsuo touches Touya in practiced movements, cooling down very specific areas on his arms, face and chest hit the worst by the blue flame. After which, Touya becomes functional enough to shove him aside and throw another pillar of fire at the Nomu, and its friend-

Shit. There are two Nomus now.

Ochako sees this too, and tenses. She looks at him, opening her mouth to probably stop him from doing what he wants to do.

But he doesn't stop. He stands up, ice and fire forming over both sides. His clothes are all but destroyed now, but he can't care.

Running forward with a cry, he throws all that he has within him and directs them at the monsters threatening his brothers' lives. At the same time, great pillars of ice and blue flame cover the two Nomus, leaving them screaming in an inferno of extremes.

It takes a while for the ice to completely shatter and the fire to die down. When they do eventually, one Nomu lies unmoving on the concrete. The other is still standing, but it twitches and trills, arms frozen in mid-air.

Shouto falls to his knees, suddenly too weak to move. Across from him, Touya does the same, steam rising from his skin. Natsuo also has to lean against the wall, his face covered in frost, breath coming out thick and white through chattering teeth.

It turns to Shouto. Blue flames begin to emerge from within-is this a copy quirk?-running at full speed, ready to burn him-

"RELEASE!"

A meteor shower falls over the Nomu, burying it under boulders and rubble. The pile shudders once, and remains still.

Silence falls over them. He hears Ochako gasp and fall next to him, feels her soft arms around him and her sigh of relief.

"Oh my god… I can't believe that worked," she says, voice cracking, eyes leaking with tears. "D-don't ever do that again, Shouto, don't you _dare-_ "

"I'm sorry," he says, holding her close. "It's… it's over now. We survived."

"Really?" she sniffs.

"Yeah. Really. You saved us, Ochako-chan." Natsuo and Touya stumble in their direction, looking like they'd fall over if they weren't leaning on each other.

His… _brothers._

Shouto is on his feet before he knows it, looking up into blue eyes and black hair and burning skin. His mouth opens and closes. He probably stares for too long, because he can't believe what he's seeing.

The man looks back at him, tired as hell, but still smirking.

"Don't just stand there, Shou. Wanna come here?"

He nods, and embraces him. The smell of ash fills his nostrils and almost chokes him, pushing tears out of his eyes. He's so weak and spent that his entire body starts to shake, and-

"Geez. Still a crybaby, huh, Shouto."

"Stupid nii-san," he grumbles. He has too many things to say, but he can't think of anything else right now except how his older brother is alive and well and breathing in his arms.

Touya chuckles and ruffles his hair. "Okay, that's enough, yeah? I think the pros are here, so I gotta get outta here before they catch me doing a better job of protecting the city than them."

True enough, people in colorful suits suddenly rush the scene, falling down on the monsters littering the streets like arrows. The turn of the tide is visible and dramatic, with heroes of all shapes and sizes plucking civilians from the streets and/or pummeling Nomus to the ground.

"We gotta get you out of here, nii-san. It'll be harder to keep you outta sight if we stay here," Natsuo says, mustering up enough energy to lift him more decidedly by the shoulder.

Shouto looks up at them meaningfully.

Touya rolls his eyes. "Are ya really gonna throw a tantrum about me running away from home years and years ago? Right _now?_ "

Despite the situation, he hears Ochako snort behind him. Natsuo huffs, giving Shouto an amused smile. "We'll talk later, promise. Right now, you and Ochako have to help out all the injured and-"

A flash of light cuts off his sentence.

"LOOK! Up in the sky!"

Simultaneously, they turn to the sky, the mess of people around them doing the same thing.

At the center of the Hosu skyline, the vision of an exploding star rises. Orange and green and blue flames as hot as the sun, expanding twenty meters in all directions. Shouto sees the gaudy blue and orange of his suit, the flashy flames of his face bursting with the rest of the flashfire.

"It's Endeavor! We're saved!" Someone screams in relief from below.

"The old man's still at it, huh." Touya's voice is ragged and cold, his smile sardonic. Still, he's looking up at the sky, watching the fight. Natsuo, too. His mouth is twisted as if he's tasted something bitter, but he can't take his eyes off the sky, the sun.

All of them are watching him.

People are screaming, cheering for him. He's never heard such a strong approval of him. He wonders how he's going to flaunt this after all this chaos is over…

And then, it happens. It probably lasts a second, but Shouto sees the moment stretched out, painful and slow.

Something gleams, pointed and silver, from the Nomu's hand. It's strong, and aims for the middle of Endeavor's forehead. It misses.

It hits the side of his neck instead.

And as quickly as the brilliant sunfire comes, they disappear. Endeavor falls like a comet from the sky, a streak of crimson trailing from his neck as it does. He crashes into the side of an office building, the sound of crushed glass and steel and stone echoing across the sky, onto the street.

The silence that follows is deafening.

* * *

 **AN:** Hi to the five people still reading this story :) I appreciate all of you, and apologize for the unexpected hiatus!

I hope the action scenes aren't too much for you guys! This is the shortest chapter I've written for this story so far, I think? And if I do it right, it'll be one chapter and an epilogue to go!

I hope you enjoyed this update, and see you next time!


	11. 10: Tea Would Be Great

**Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea  
** Chapter 10: Tea Would Be Great.

* * *

A sound fills his head. Intangible, incomprehensible. His vision shakes. His sense of time shatters.

Shouto keeps his eyes in the empty sky as the world freezes.

No-one moves for an eternity, until a thread snaps. Somewhere, someone screams "Endeavor-san!" A flurry of beige and blood red soars from one point in the sky to the crash site, followed by loud, orange lightning, a vision in bright red and white and blue which leaps from the ground to follow. The Nomu has knives sticking out of every orifice, crawling up the side of the shattered building to the center of the crash site; the two forces of nature snatch it from glass and twisted metal to go to somewhere far away to be silenced.

All at once, the stunned silence is broken by white noise.

 _Endeavor has fallen._

"... outo… Shouto…"

Someone next to him shakes him when his eyes refuse to move from the spot in the sky where crimson trailed from broken skin. How long has he been staring into empty space? How long has this person been shaking him from a trance?

He looks down and meets shiny brown eyes. "Shouto," Ochako calls, voice trembling.

Suddenly his ears are full of sound. Left and right people are shoving, running, falling over. Heroes with tears in their eyes struggle to keep a semblance of control over the mourning crowd, yelling directions in between sobs. Shouto would have been thrown this way and that if Ochako weren't there to keep him standing.

 _What is happening?_

"Shouto, we have to move." Ochako's crying like everyone else is crying: tears cracking lines through the dirt and soot on her face.

He stares at her dumbly. There's soot, and ashes-his brothers. His brothers were here. They saw him-the old man-Endeavor-

"Where's…"

-they saw _him-Dad_ -when his neck was cut and he-

His vision swirls and blurs looking for his brothers in the madding crowd, but Ochako holds his head still. He feels the softness of a fingerpad on his cheek, wiping away the dampness there.

He realizes with a start that he's crying too.

"Shouto." She'd repeat his name over and over as long as she needs to until he snaps back to his senses-and she needs to, because Shouto doesn't really understand what's happening yet. "Listen… Nacchi-kun had to go, okay? He had to take Touya-nii away before the heroes realize-"

But he was just here, _he was just here,_ he was dead for more than a decade and now he isn't, and now the old man is… the old man-

Ochako is embracing him now, holding onto him as his legs begin to give and he finds himself going closer to the ground. "We'll see them again… don't worry, you'll see them again. For now, just breathe. One, two. Just like that. Stay with me."

And he tries, he does-he doesn't feel like he is at first because he's looking at broken concrete and his jaw is tense and his fingertips are tingling-ice crawls up on torn sleeves while steam rises on the other hand-but his chest rise and falls, quick then slower and slower as the seconds tick by, and Ochako is breathing next to him, soft arms around him and cheek pressed against him and he crashes back to the present.

It's painful when feeling comes back to his hands, when he flexes his fingers free of ashes and frost. His lungs hurt from inhaling smoke. His head throbs dully from the hit he took earlier. But at least he feels, and he thinks, and somehow he's plucked himself out of that spiral within him.

Ochako looks relieved when he blinks himself back to reality. "Can you stand?"

"I think so," he says, as he attempts to right himself with some difficulty, as people continue to rush past them in all directions.

She keeps one hand at his arm, tugging his sleeve towards the emergency room. "Come with me, okay? We have to go."

"But-" What will they even do now? What was he supposed to do in this situation?

Determination flashes in her brown eyes. "Shouto, you want to save him right?"

His past flashes before his eyes, painful and unchanging, all the scars on his body stinging in protest. But it's odd how quickly he says, "Yes, of course," like it's the most obvious answer in the world.

Despite everything, it's the only answer he is able to give.

"Okay. We're going to save Endeavor," Ochako says with a determined nod. "It doesn't look like the heroes are in a state to send a rescue team up there, and we need to be quick. Let's pick up everything we need and run to him, okay? I can float us there."

"Okay," he replies through the flustered buzz in his head, grateful that she's managing to keep a working head above her shoulders. As they move, people are screaming again and pointing at the sky. They turn in alarm as the sound of explosions ring across the avenue.

Under the gleaming sunlight, smoke, and fire, a line of orange explosions blazes upwards. For a moment Shouto is worried that it's another Nomu wreaking havoc again, but the source of them has a blonde head, angry eyes, and had a woman with raven hair clinging to his back. He's mid-air, eyes directed to the crash site where Endeavor lay.

Ochako's jaw drops. "That's Bakugou-kun and Dr. Momo?! What're they doing?"

Shouto doesn't know much about Bakugou so he wouldn't know what he's thinking, but he's seen that look on Yaoyorozu's face before. Eyes focused, calculating and analyzing and strategizing, not an ounce of the hesitation. One look at her and Shouto knows that she's there to help. The pair seemed to understand the gravity of what has happened to Endeavor, and the necessity of a quick response.

And Yaoyorozu can help. She can make things out of her body, enough to do first aid. But whatever Yaoyorozu can create to help that old man, it won't be enough. There isn't enough of her to go around.

Shouto makes up his mind once more. "Ochako, let's go. We'll back them up."

Finally he regains all sensation to his limbs. He takes Ochako's hand and rushes to the hospital entrance, pushing and tearing all the vines that Shiozaki had used to barricade the people from the villain attack. It's hard because of the thorns-he would burn them off, but risked burning down the rest of the hospital. Soon his and Ochako's hands are bleeding, until someone punches a hole through the vine wall next to them.

Stunned, they see a giant-fisted Kendo and Tetsutetsu in steel form tearing through the vines. "Todoroki! Uraraka! You guys are alive!" Tetsutetsu says in awe and relief.

"You guys are outside," Shouto says dumbly as the couple work through the barricade without flinching once. Weren't they supposed to be inside keeping the civilians and patients safe?

Kendo gestures to a cooler in her other enlarged hand. "We don't have enough blood, too many injured people who need it, and no means of transport except for my motorcycle. Tetsu and I are going to make a few more runs to the other hospitals after we drop these off."

"For transfusions?" Ochako asks. "Dr. Kendo, can we have some? Please, we're in a hurry, we need to save Endeavor-san!"

Kendo and Tetsutetsu freeze stare at them with unease. "You guys are planning to go up there?!" Tetsutetsu asks incredulously. "Ain't that dangerous? The building looks like it's gonna fall in on you guys if you barge in there!"

Of course it's dangerous. Of course they might die there with Bakugou and Yaoyorozu and make things worse by upping the body count. But… "We don't have a choice," Shouto answers. "We can't waste anymore time. We need to get there with an emergency kit as soon as we can."

Kendo looks at him with conflict in her eyes. "Todoroki… it's too risky. You already almost died a while ago. I think you should leave this one to the pros."

"The pros aren't moving. Every second we waste, more of his blood is lost through that gash in his neck that those Nomus gave him." He doesn't like how his tone is grave and how his voice shakes, but it finally gets the two of them to listen. "If we don't move now, _Endeavor will die_."

Kendo and Tetsutetsu fall silent, staring at him, and then each other with apprehension.

"Todoroki…" Tetsutetsu mutters, so at a loss on what to do that he begins tapping the sides of his steel head in frustration. "Argh! I get that he's your dad and all, but if you and Uraraka die, and we just let you march in there-"

"We won't," Ochako says, eyes gleaming with determination. "We'll be quick and careful. My quirk will get us there in and out safer than anybody else can manage."

"Please," Shouto says. His gaze is suddenly on the floor as he bows his head. He doesn't know what else to do.

Finally, Kendo sighs. She isn't entirely convinced, that much is obvious, but at least she won't get in their way. She puts the cooler down and unzips it. It's filled to the brim with different types of blood products. "What's his blood type?"

"AB."

"Of course it's the rarest type," the redhead mumbles humorlessly as she sifts through the bags.

Despite the situation, Shouto can't help but think that even when he's in critical condition, the old man still manages to be very troublesome.

Kendo manages to provide them with two bags, which Ochako takes in her arms in sheer gratefulness. "This'll be enough until we get him back here," she tells Shouto with some relief. "Now we just need to break in and get meds-"

The hole through the vines gets punched further from the inside, making the four of them jump. To their horror, three pairs of brawny arms smash through the thicket, unmindful of the thorns cutting through skin.

For a second, Shouto thinks that it's another Nomu. His hands freeze and flare up ready to attack. Thankfully he's able to hold back as two familiar faces, one with a mask and the other with a large headband, peek through the hole.

"Ah! Watch it!" Awase cries in horror, seeing not only Shouto ready to strike, but also Ochako, Tetsutetsu, and Kendo. Behind him, the brawny Shouji holds all six arms up in surrender.

"Awase! Shoji! What the hell!" Tetsutetsu yells as he pulls his arm back. "Why are ya guys breakin' outta there? Is there an attack inside?!"

"On the contrary. We were going to see if it's safe enough for Shiozaki-san to remove the barricade," Shoji answers. As he walks out of the hole, the vines regrow to seal the exit once more. "Besides that, Awase-kun insisted on getting out to help, too."

"You bet I am," Awase huffs in indignation. "Yo, Todoroki, Uraraka. You guys are going up there for Endeavor, aren't you? I'm going with you."

Kendo and Tetsutetsu make a frustrated sound in unison. "Dude, you too?! We were just trying to talk them out of this suicide mission!"

Awase pays them no mind and gives his full attention to Shouto and Ochako. "I saw everything from the window upstairs. You'll need all of these, right?"

It's only then that Shouto notices that Awase has welded what could be the contents of an entire e-cart and more to his bare skin. All that they need to prevent that old man from dying, in other words.

"Yes we do, Awase-kun! Are you really gonna help us out?" Ochako says.

"Yeah," the welder answers flatly, taking the bags of blood from her and sticking them at a spare spot on his arm. "I know Yaoyorozu and that bastard are already up there to help out, but there's no way that Yaoyorozu can make enough stuff. We gotta get there quick before she kills herself creating an entire surgical suite up there."

Among the others, he sees an _ah, so that's why he wants to help_ type of look in their faces. He would ask about it, but there's really no time to stand around and argue. "Thanks, Awase. Let's go."

Without another word, they leave the hospital premises and make their way near the office building, now a heap of broken glass and melted steel. Their initial assumptions were right; apart from Bakugou and Yaoyorozu, who are already inside, no-one has attempted to even come near the building. From how unstable the structure looks, no-one could really blame the pros for not trying to do anything else but make the civilians go the other way and not look back.

Doesn't mean that he doesn't feel sick from it, though. _They've really given up on him._

"Shouto." There's a soft hand on his right hand. The frost on it melts with the warmth of her palm and four fingertips.

Ochako looks up at him, tremulous and anxious, but without an ounce of hesitation in her brown eyes. "Ready?"

Her other hand is already on Awase's, one pinky up as well.

Shouto breathes in, and out. "Ready."

Ochako nods and presses her pinkies down.

The sensation of gravity leaving his body takes over him in waves. Soon the ground disappears beneath their feet, and they're rising up, up, up, faster with each passing second. He hears Awase yelp in brief panic from Ochako's other side. Their distorted reflections float along with them along the shattered glass facade of the building.

Halfway up the building, Ochako's cheeks become less pink and progressively greener than they ought to be. Her eyes are scrunched tight in a desperate effort to fight the nausea that he knows is rising to the back of her throat, along with the threat of bile.

He squeezes her hand in an effort to reassure her. She determinedly squeezes his hand back. "I'm okay. Just tell me when it's time to release," she tells him weakly.

Thankfully she manages to hold on until they're a few feet away from the edge of the crevice. She hooks her arms around the two men, manages to scream a shaky, "Release!" and holds on as best as she can as they land somewhat roughly over an intact slab of concrete. She almost stumbles forwards and headfirst into an abyss, but Shouto catches her on time.

The inside of the crash site looks like a scene from a horror movie. The hole is about fifty meters wide, ten floors deep. Smoke rises from random small fires, metal hissing and bending in all directions. Bodies are scattered everywhere, pale and burnt and surrounded by congealed blood that have stopped flowing.

"Shit," Awase mutters under his breath. "No-one had a chance to evacuate. This is terrible."

Seeing dead bodies is definitely not new to any of them, but not like this. There isn't a safe way to get to the bodies they see immediately to confirm if any of them are alive or not, and not enough time before the building crumbles over them.

All of it is too much for them. Ochako finally gives in and empties the contents of her stomach a step behind them. Shouto immediately drops next to her, rubbing comforting circles on her back as she continues heaving. The amount of it is alarming; Shouto worries that she wouldn't be able to handle the strain of continuing their mission.

After another minute of heaving empty air, Ochako finally calms down. Dazed but determined, she looks up at the concerned Shouto and Awase and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. "Sorry about that. Let's go, I'll float us there."

"But-"

"There's no other safe way." She stands up with tears in her eyes that definitely weren''t just from throwing up, and grabs onto Shouto and Awase. Before anyone can protest, they're in antigravity once more, floating up, then dropping down. Their gravity stutters in their descent, but Ochako manages to float them down slowly and safely through the debris.

"Do you see them?" Awase asks, his voice echoing all over.

Shouto shakes his head, keeping his eyes and ears hyperfocused. If Bakugou and Yaoyorozu were here, they should hear someone right? That man looks like the type where you hear him no matter what he does…

It seems like an eternity has passed before they hear voices. Soft, weak, a whisper hardly louder than an echo. _"Endeavor-san first… Katsuki, you have to save him…"_

 _"Momo, don't fuckin' pass out on me now-stay with me, stay here, right here-"_

"Hear that?! Shit, she sounds hurt," Awase says in alarm. "Where the fuck are they-"

Shouto feels Ochako jolt next to him. "We're close," she says, maneuvering them forward without warning.

It's hard to see in the dark, past the rubble and broken concrete, but as the sounds of Bakugou panicking get louder and louder, Shouto knows that Ochako's correct to trust her senses, as messed up as they are by shock and vertigo. They float closer and closer to a clearing, and soon they see him: a man covered in blue and orange and red, drifting in and out of consciousness. It's dark, with no fire around them.

He doesn't look alive.

He barely hears Ochako scream _RELEASE!,_ barely registers the moment that gravity returns to them and they land on the ground. In his periphery, he sees people moving behind him. Bakugou yelling something, Awase yelling something back, Ochako yelling at them both. Yaoyorozu's there too, he knows he sees her with all her torn clothes and skin and bones, but he can't focus on anything else.

He doesn't know how, but he stumbles at Endeavor's side. Numbly he touches his wrist to feel his thready pulse, sees the too-subtle, too-slow rise and fall of his chest. It doesn't feel like it's really him seeing the gauze steadily staining blood over the left side of his neck.

There are things in his hands-when did Awase give him these things?-and in precise movements he manages to place a line and start a blood transfusion, even though all he can think of is how cold Endeavor's skin is and has it ever known cold? Before this, all that old man ever did was burn and burst into flame and now he's almost dead and ice cold and it feels too much like his right side, and now his hand is frosting up again, and it isn't right, none of this is right-

"Shouto. Here."

He snaps out of another trance and sees a pair of brown eyes looking at him. She's hooked another line through his other arm while he was out of it, apparently, and is in the process of taking his other vital signs.

She looks at him with concern, but thankfully does not say anything about it. "His pulse rate's in the 120's, but very faint," she tells him in her nurse voice-detached, but all that they need right now.

He nods. "He's in shock. Awase, we need-"

"Got it," Awase says, unfusing the needed medicine from his body. Ochako takes it from him, hooks it up, keeps all senses in high alert for Endeavor. They exchange muted words, numbers, clinical terms that sound detached from the imminent danger of losing the old man.

He perseveres.

Somehow all the meds they pump through his spent body push his heart just enough. A few minutes later his blood pressure's not deathly low, and his pulse isn't as weak. He looks up at Ochako and nods. "Stable," he says.

"Okay. We should move him again," she says quietly, with a deep inhale. "I'll float all of us out of here, and drop us outside of the hospital."

"Can you manage it?" It's one thing telling her labyrinths to behave with just the three of them rising to that height. Another thing to take a half-dead Endeavor along with them, as well as Bakugou and Yaoyorozu, who admittedly probably weighed only half of her previous weight at that point.

She nods, biting her lower lip nervously. "We have no choice. Making Bakugou use his quirk again in this kind of place is too risky. It's also too dangerous to make two trips."

Shouto stares at her carefully. "You're at your limit already."

She shakes her head, reaches over to hold his cold hand. "Trust me. I can do it."

And so he does.

Ochako activates her quirk on Endeavor and his set-up first. He floats without much difficulty, just like the day they first met, Shouto realizes. The group moves him past the mess of debris carefully. When they get to a place where it's safer to rise up the crevice, Ochako reaches out to touch the rest of them-him first, then Awase, then Bakugou with Yaoyorozu in his arms, and then herself.

She pales with each new weight removed by her quirk, but her eyes remain strong and focused and although Shouto is worried, he knows he can trust her with his life.

"Can you float all of us with your quirk without killing us with the drop, Roundface?" Bakugou snarks, not without reason.

She glares at him. "Not like I have a choice, Explodey-face."

She keeps one hand on Endeavor's sleeve. The other she hooks around his arm, fingers squeezing over his torn sleeves and bare skin. She keeps the touch there, snapping him consistently back to reality.

Without further preamble, the group collectively holds their breath and floats up the crevice. It's a short while before they're out of the darkness and into the harsh sunlight of the sky, hovering up over the city.

Below them, people are pointing and yelling at the sight. Ochako hovers them closer to Hosu General Hospital before she slowly puts all ten fingers together and whispers a nervous "Release!"

Their drop down the building is rapid at first. Bakugou and Awase scream in abject terror as they descend. Shouto holds on to Ochako's hand tight, eyes on her green-tinged cheeks. She looks at him, holds another puff of breath, and manages to slow their descent until they're floating gently down to the concrete, where Shinsou and Kirishima are running out with a stretcher to greet them.

Shouto watches as Ochako gently deactivates her quirk from Endeavor, making him land neatly over the stretcher. Behind him, Bakugou and Kirishima are yelling at each other, but he pays them no mind. He focuses on the numbers on the cardiac monitor that the ER team connects to the old man, as his foggy brain tries to make sense of the numbers and lines appearing on the screen…

Shinsou's voice snaps him back to reality. "Todoroki, Uraraka, we got this. Iida's preparing the ICU."

 _He's alive._

His knees feel wobbly once again as his mind comes to terms with everything that has happened. Endeavor-that shitty old man. His father. Their father. He's still alive. He'll live.

"Thank you," he hears himself say in a voice that sounds too distant to be his own. He watches dumbly as another group of nurses wheel the old man's unmoving body past the swinging doors of the emergency room. Another gap in his mind, as he answers without thinking: "We'll help in the code."

Shinsou pauses. "You sure?"

Ochako looks at him in surprise. Again, when he nods without hesitation.

The purple-haired guy huffs. "I heard you and Uraraka almost died fighting a Nomu on your own, before that guy-"

 _Wait, people saw-_

"We can do it, Shinsou-kun," Ochako interrupts before he says anything more. She looks at Shouto meaningfully as she says, "We need to help everyone who's hurt."

"Very good. We need all the help we can get."

Best Jeanist walks from behind them, trademark denim suit frayed at the edges and slightly disheveled. He and Amajiki-senpai, who hobbles behind him, looks like they've had their share of fighting as well. The way he moves though, with head held high and an impeccable posture, one wouldn't believe it.

"We already have a number of cases lined up in Neurosurgery-head traumas and the like. I'll need all available neurosurgeons up in the suite now. All four residents should go up as soon as you're able."

Around them, people are rushing back and forth into the hospital. Many with obvious broken bones, gashes and cut staining their office clothes red. Some are half-conscious, throwing up, or in obvious pain. An alarming number of them are unconscious and critical, the type that has the staff talk in loud voices, telling everyone else to get out of the way.

His hands shake from using his quirk, from all that he's seen and heard and touched that morning. Is he ready to take care of all of them?

In front of him, people are arguing for Yaoyorozu's behalf. Bakugou the loudest one among them, and the only one insisting that she will be able to help people despite looking like she fought the hardest. Yaoyorozu is skin-and-bones, yes, but Shouto knows that no matter what anyone says, no-one can stop her.

He shouldn't let anyone stop him either.

Four soft fingers hold on to the crook of his arm. Ochako looks up at him, eyes and pink cheeks warm and shining and _there._

"I'll assist you, Dr. Todoroki," she says with a determined nod. "I'll be here for you the entire time."

He remembers once more that he isn't alone.

* * *

In no time, Shouto and Ochako clean up, dress themselves up in clean scrubs, and go into the surgery suites.

Kendo goes in and out of the suite, bringing patients and charts with her as she does. Most of them direct victims of Nomus, others caught in the crossfire of the fights that happened, others victims of falling debris and trapped buildings and stampedes from the panic.

One by one Shouto operates on them as quickly and as precisely as possible. Ochako tries in turn to assist him reliably, responding to his needs as best as she can, sometimes without having to say anything. They are able to do most of the surgeries without much problems, although they almost coded twice in a particularly critical case. Kendo informs them later that unfortunately the patient passed away.

(Shouto tries not to think about Endeavor too much, but Kendo's tone of voice still gets to him. Ochako looks at him and touches him lightly each time she notices.)

They take some breaks, but probably not as many as they should. Some of the staff bring them rice balls and sandwiches and awful coffee that Shouto does not have the luxury of complaining about anymore. They eat in silence as they study the cases they're taking next, take a deep breath, stretch their muscles, and go on to the next procedure. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Hours later, they close up their last patient and wait for news patiently in the OR. It takes some waiting with baited breath and swollen eyes and fatigued wrists, but Kendo sends them a message soon: _the code's over guys. We'll call you when another emergency comes up, but for now it's time to take a break!_

By this time, Shouto is slumped on the floor and against the wall of one of the corners of the operating room. His hands almost hurt too much to even hold on to his phone, but he manages to read the message before dropping it completely. "Sounds like it's over for now."

Ochako is slumped right next to him. She barely has the energy to lift her head up to meet his eyes as she slurs, "Really? It's over?"

He leans against her, hears the crinkle of her chestnut hair crumpling against him as he does so. "They'll call us when they need us. But we can sleep, for now."

She makes a sound that doesn't quite sound like a word, and sighs in relief. "Okay. We should… move somewhere else or something. Somewhere nice, and warm, and… and soft..."

"Mhm."

Neither of them move a muscle. Their bodies are too heavy; by this time they both feel the effects of overworking their quirks, their bodies, their minds, their everything. Besides, there's nothing like the comfort of a surgical suite floor after a long and tiring duty…

(Nothing like the softness of her cheek against him, as she leans in closer to his warmth.)

He feels her breathing slow, but also feels some effort to keep her eyes open, to move her mouth again. "Hey..." she says, sounding drunk.

"What is it?"

She shifts her head slightly towards him, so he feels the little pleasant warm puff of breath over his neck. "The two of us… we should start, from the very start. Before things get weird and confusing again. Is that okay?"

He smiles quietly. "That sounds great."

He feels her smile against his skin. "Okay." Suddenly he's staring at her outstretched hand and into her tired, shining, pretty brown eyes. "I'm Nurse Uraraka Ochako, by the way."

He takes her hand and shakes it. "Todoroki Shouto. Nice to meet you."

She smiles once and giggles, slurring something that Shouto can't quite understand anymore because the world's getting hazy and it's been awhile since he last heard that laugh and the vibrations of it sink into his blood like morphine. She promptly collapses into his side, body and consciousness finally giving in. He doesn't stop her-couldn't stop her, actually, as he himself suddenly feels an irresistible urge to slip into unconsciousness.

It's been a really long day. They both have great things and not-so-great things to face once they regain their bearings. But at least, right now, in this cold and isolated corner of an empty operating room, he doesn't have to let go of her hand.

* * *

They wake up almost five hours later, body stiff and not completely recharged, but better than when they were running on zero sleep with all the side-effects of using their quirks after so long. Ochako stirs first and only manages to wipe her face free of drool before Shouto quietly blinks into consciousness.

"Hey," he says, rubbing his eyes in a way that makes him look like a little kid. "Had a good sleep?"

"Yeah." With a start, Ochako realizes that she'd drooled on his shoulder and scrambles to wipe the mess with her hand. "Oh shit, Doctoroki, sorry… I was so tired, I didn't mean to mess you up like this-"

Why were they sleeping on the floor anyway? Everything's all a blur in those first few minutes of consciousness. Maybe it didn't matter when they were both delirious from exhaustion, but passing out with their necks overstretched and their backs and bottoms cushioned mercilessly against the cold tile can't be good for them. Although she had to admit, sleeping on Shouto's left side is always a pleasant experience, whether it's on the ceiling or on the floor.

And they haven't even resolved all the dramatic shit between them yet. Is it really okay to snuggle up and drool on someone when things aren't a hundred percent okay?

Shouto doesn't seem to mind very much, though. He catches her hand and squeezes it gently. She'd blush, but he seems to be doing it in a half-conscious haze. "Don't worry. I don't mind it."

She grimaces. "It's gross though. You shouldn't just parade around with other people's drool on you."

He blinks at her. "... I guess you should wash your hair then."

"! Did you-" In alarm she grasps the top of her head, patting it down for any uncomfortable dampness or stickiness. When she finds none, and sees Shouto chuckling at her, she whines and threatens to wipe him with more of that, until someone clears their throat from above them.

Aoyama Yuuga has less sparkle than he usually has, likely owing to the craze of the past twenty-four hours, but seeing him in all his sparkly glory is a visual assault on just-awakened eyes all the same. " _Bonjour, mes amies!_ Dr. Todoroki, you are finally awake, I see."

All humor suddenly flies out of the room as they regard the ICU nurse's too-polite demeanor. Shouto nods and stands up, taking Ochako by the arm to help her up as well. "Yeah, I am. Is there anything wrong, Aoyama?"

Aoyama shakes his head. "Monsieur Endeavor is stable, but just so. The other doctors have things to discuss about the treatment, but we cannot grab a hold of the rest of your family, unfortunately. I understand how tired you must be, Dr. Todoroki, but-"

"It's all right. I'll go there." As he begins to step forward to follow the blonde out, he looks at Ochako with an uneasy gleam in his eye.

She smiles at him. "It'll be okay, Shouto," she says with the most reassuring smile she can give, despite all likelihood of his condition being otherwise. With another careful beat, she asks, "Do you want me to be there too?"

He inhales shakily. "No, it's… I think I should. By myself."

She nods. She doesn't fully understand the hows and whys of the two of them and the rest of the family, but she hopes she will, eventually. At least she understands enough to know that Shouto has to face his father by himself.

She reaches out and squeezes his hand. "Call me when you need me."

He nods, and squeezes her hand back. With another nod, he lets Aoyama lead the way to the outside.

Ochako breathes out, swallows all her worries down, and leaves the suite by herself.

* * *

Under the careful watch of everyone in the country, Endeavor survives. It takes him three days before he regains consciousness, another three days before they're able to remove all the machines hooked to him, and an extra day before he is out of the ICU and into the fanciest room in the hospital filled to the brim with flowers and fruit baskets.

Ochako watches from a distance as Shouto comes to terms with many difficult things. Like Endeavor coming back to full consciousness, but not being able to talk. His right side not being able to move as much as the left. The big scar on the left side of his face that he got from the fall.

Everyone throws a fuss over the looming possibility of the number one hero not being able to completely recover from these injuries and return to his work. The government, the media, the hero associations, everyone on the internet and out on the streets. Ochako herself feels some foreboding over not being there for Endeavor early enough, even though they did all that the could.

She knows that Shouto realizes this as well. It takes a lot out of him to tend to Endeavor's needs, talk to officials and the like about the situation, talk to his co-workers and the people in the hospital-just, a lot of talking, more than he's used to. But he does, and at the end of the day he talks to Ochako too, just tells her everything about how all Endeavor can do is stare at him quizzically when he asks him how he feels, and how hard it is, how overwhelming it is to face all of these out of nowhere. How frustrating it is to feel angry and sad and confused and not know if it's the right thing to feel about his father.

He doesn't always feel better after he spills everything. Ochako doesn't always know what to say. But he's been prepping himself to seek therapy very soon, and she's one hundred percent behind him. And she embraces him as much as she can, and he accepts that.

Most days, her touch really helps.

She isn't sure about that particular day though.

It's a big source of stress for the family. A lot of arguments between Fuyumi and Natsuo and all the nosy uncles and aunties from both sides of the family have erupted regarding whether Todoroki Rei should be allowed a visit. In the end, when it's Rei herself who decides that she wants to see him, and when her psychiatrist agrees, no-one can do much about it anymore.

Eight days after his confinement, without much ado, she comes in Endeavor's hospital room. No flowers, fruit baskets or anything other pretense. Just two of their children on each arm and another behind her, to make sure that she'll be okay. Ochako meets her outside just before she makes her entrance, and the embrace she gives him is chilling.

It's not a scene she's supposed to see, even though Rei seems to think otherwise. She tells Shouto she'll wait at the rooftop. The siblings give her a grateful nod.

When the door closes behind them, Ochako stays there for a beat of silence. She feels the air tense, solid. "Hello Enji," she hears from beyond the door.

There's a crack in her voice, sharp enough to make tears sting in Ochako's eyes for no real reason.

She leaves the family behind and takes a breather up the roof. The air up there is cold and wakes up her senses, dries up her tears. It must be embarrassing crying so hard for a family she's not really part of, but she can't help it. At least she's up here without anyone to see.

She promises herself to call Ma and Pa once she calms down-she has to tell them that she loves them, she loves them, dammit she loves them and she's happy that they're back in Mie-ken. So she takes one breath after another, keeps it slow. When the tears stop flowing and she isn't sniffling like a little baby anymore, she fumbles for her phone in her pocket and begins to unlock it with shaking fingers.

"Yikes. You're seriously still using that relic? Shoulda let the Nomus destroy that one too."

She almost drops the phone when she turns to the source of the voice.

It definitely isn't the first time she's seen him, but the scars, piercings, and tattoos give a shock to her system all the same. He seems to have more of them covered in bandages, and there's a heaviness to his step that's definitely an injury he's trying to hide with a nonchalant facade, but the black hair, blue eyes, and self-assured smirk is the same as she last remembers it.

Despite the urge to step back, she stays right where she is. "It's you again," she mutters, dazed.

He smirks. "Long time no see, Space Cadet."

"I have a name, you know. Like you, Todoroki Touya."

He shakes his head. Quietly, he says, "Don't. It's Dabi now."

She nods. Accepts this, because she doesn't know enough not to. "Um… I don't know if you know this, but… your family, they're all there, with…"

He smiles. "My family, huh? It's cute how you think I still belong with them."

"Of course you do." She doesn't know why her voice suddenly sounds like it's pleading with him. "Just because you look different and you're a vigilante now doesn't ever stop that. You know Shouto and Nacchi-kun always thought of you a brother… and even Fuyumi-nee, if she knows-"

"Bad idea, Space Cadet. You know that vigilantes are literally criminals, right? You're literally talking to a criminal right now," he says with a careless shrug. "You don't wanna implicate those two dolts with me, they might arrest them on the spot. Natsuo, especially. That kid never did grow out of the habit of tailing me wherever I went."

There's something to be said about the various emotions that Dabi says all of these things. Forcefully neutral, but with fondness and sadness trembling under the surface.

It's enough to make Ochako's own voice tremble. "But… that's not… you just can't leave them, not now…"

Dabi stares at her thoughtfully. "You sure? It's a mess down there. Endeavor's retiring, they've yet to capture the key individuals in the league, the next number one hero's a chicken with an attitude problem… I dunno, in the long run, maybe it's better if the guy's vigilante son, who's actually doing something to solve this case, just remains missing for good, yeah?"

He watches her face and lets out an exasperated sigh. "You're seriously crying over this?"

She wipes her betraying eyes and sniffles. "What's it to you if I do?"

"Nothing. You really suit Shou. Both crybabies. It's pretty great how compatible the two of you are," he says with a grin. "Which is good, because if you were just after his money I woulda burnt you to a crisp on the day we first met."

She scowls at him. "You're seriously casually throwing in a death threat while I earnestly shed tears for you?"

"Now's a good time as any, I guess."

Maybe it's wrong, given the mess of all the painful emotions in her chest, but she really wants to punch the lights out of him right there and then. Relations to Shouto be damned.

Something in the way her face changes makes him cackle-a wheezy sound, rough and grating, as if he's smoked two packs a day for the past five decades. "That's a great face you're makin' there, kid! You look like ya wanna kill me or something!"

She resists the urge anyway, even though it seems like he's asking for it at this point. "So, Dabi, what brings you here? Have you just come here to aggravate me while your family's having a life-changing meeting downstairs?"

He taps his thumb against his pierced lower lip. "Was that it? I forgot."

"You forgot?!" What is this guy on, anyway?!

He shrugs. "I dunno. It seemed important at the time, but if I forgot, then maybe it's not _that_ important? At least, not enough to risk me being captured by the feds."

Ochako can hardly believe it as she watches the man leap up the fence surrounding the rooftop easily. He has as much agility and precision as a jaguar, although his injuries are more obvious when she watches him favor one side as he prepares to climb down.

He's seriously just going to disappear like that on her?!

He seems to read her mind. The shit-eating grin on his face says as much anyway. "Don't worry. If I remember what it is, I'll tell ya. You'll be with Shouto the entire time anyways, right?"

She nods, as flustered as she is by this entire exchange.

He smiles at her then-not sardonic, not sarcastic, not mischievous in any way. "Good. You better be. See ya, Space Cadet."

Another wave of the hand, and he drops off the side of the building. Ochako runs, scared that the guy slipped and is actually falling to the concrete below them, but when she makes it to the fence, there's nothing there but thin air.

She stares at the empty air and the rushing city below her for a few moments, stunned beyond reason to truly understand what happened. Dabi-no, Todoroki Touya, whatever he says, he'll always be Touya-looking strangely _relieved_ after their exchange is over. What was that about? All she confirmed was that she'll be staying with Shouto for good-

"Ochako?"

Shouto emerges from the entrance. Seeing her face, his face turns to that of alarm. "What are you doing there? Have you been crying?"

She's about to say no, even though she knows her voice is going to crack if she does. Doesn't matter though, because Shouto's got her secured in an embrace in the next moment.

"Hey. It's okay. I'm here," he whispers in her ear, stroking her back. His closeness warm, welcoming, so familiar. It's just enough to quell the shock of seeing Touya and hearing his cryptic words and seeing that look on his face that looked like he heard all he needed to hear.

 _You'll be with Shouto the entire time anyways, right?_

Yes, she will be. "I'm here too, Shouto," she says, returning the embrace. "Tell me all about what happened."

* * *

That evening, Shouto drives her home to her apartment.

As before, he parks his car at the street across the complex, watches her keenly as she unbuckles her seatbelt, gathers her things, and looks back to him with a quiet, reluctant smile on her face. "So… thanks for the ride, Shouto. I really appreciate it."

He nods. "Anytime."

Her hand hesitates over the doorknob for a beat, and another. It's amusing to see her hesitate. Cute, really, how she looks at him with those big eyes when she turns around, mouth open with no words coming out.

"So do you want-"

"If you want-"

They interrupt each other again. It's weird how they still tend to do it makes him feel closer to her, as silly as it sounds.

After she laughs, she straightens up and says, "I was about to say… I know we're starting from the very start and all, so…"

She trails off, suddenly entirely pink and embarrassed beyond words. Considering this is the same girl whom he had fed and carried and undressed in a number of unfortunate occasions in the past, and also the same one who had saved him for more than that, it's definitely a strange thing to see.

"So," she manages while twiddling her thumbs together, "Have tea with me? In my small house, small… furniture. Everything small. And, maybe it's not good tea, but. With me. Yes? No?"

She flinches at all the unexpected directions her sentences went. She tries again, but fumbles all the same, only ending with her puffing her cheeks when Shouto can't help but laugh at her efforts.

He doesn't remember the moment when he first knew it, really, but he was sure that exact moment: he's going to stay with her for as long as she'll have him.

For a long time, hopefully. The rest of their lives, if he had this way.

He reaches out to hold her hand; soft, warm, fits his just right. "Tea would be great," he says eventually.

He is rewarded with a beaming smile on that face. "Okay. Come in, then."

After they park the car, Ochako takes him by the hand and brings him home.

* * *

 **AN:** and... almost done! just an epilogue to go!

so there are still a lotta loose ends. we'll see if we can tie those up in the remaining installments. (ahhh sorry this is such a long time coming!)

thank you so much for reading until the end! this is one of the longest stories i've ever written and it took a lot outta me but i really love this one and i appreciate all of y'all so much like ya won't believe! see you in the epilogue!


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